An Unpleasant Situation
by panneler-san
Summary: He blackmailed her for himself. She stayed for him.
1. Hermione's Helping Hand

**I don't own ANYTHING!!!! Sadly....  
**

Hermione's Helping Hand

"Cormac McLaggen?" Hermione Granger stated in surprise.

Ron groaned. "Must you repeat his name?" he asked weakly. "I already got enough of him glorifying himself during tryouts. 'I did this,' and 'I did that'. Never met such a mental."

Before Hermione could rebuke him for his unkind words, the Gryffindor dormitory entrance opened to reveal a tall, skinny boy with jet black hair, sparkling green eyes, and a thin scar in the shape of a lightning bolt dead center on his forehead.

"There you are, mate," said Ron, a slightly nervous air about him. "I wondered where you disappeared to."

"Headache," Harry Potter replied. "Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote promised to bring in the Bludgers, but they were so excited that they decided to have one more go with them. Nearly knocked all the teeth out of my head."

The tryouts for the Quidditch team had been long, annoying, and Harry still didn't have a Keeper. True, he would like to have recruited Ron on the spot, but unfortunately, both he and McLaggen saved five out of five penalty goals. Hermione, who had been unable to attend the tryouts (due to a question she was positive she missed in her Ancient Runes homework that had to be fixed,) had no idea of the outcome until she entered the Common Room later to find Ron pacing back and forth nervously.

The three friends went down to dinner together. Some passing Gryffindors in the halls would yell their approval at Harry's choice of team as they walked by, while Slytherins would yell that they couldn't wait to have a match against the bunch of pansies they would have to face.

"Honestly," said Hermione, "I don't understand what the big deal is! It's just a game, isn't it? Who cares about members of the other team? It's those that can work together the best that have the greatest chance of winning!"

"Wow, Hermione," said Harry, "That's the first good thing I have ever heard you say about Quidditch."

Ron seemed not to notice: he was too busy shoving Mince pie and lamb chops down his throat. Harry glanced at him and made sure that no one was listening before whispering more to Hermione.

"But… I'm worried about Ron. He's a great Keeper. Really, he is! But he gets so nervous. I don't know what to do with him! I decided to hold another trial for McLaggen and him, but I don't know how he'll perform under the pressure. What he needs to do is refine his technique. He needs to see other tryouts for Keepers, broaden his horizons. The only trouble is that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff have already held their tryouts. The only ones left are the Slytherins, and I don't fancy he would be too happy about going to watch."

"Why don't you go?" she suggested.

"I don't want them to think I'm spying!"

"Oh, for Goodness' sake! What does it matter, really?"

"I would go, but I don't want rumors flying around about our team trying to cheat!"

"If any solution comes to mind, you'll be the first to know." Hermione said loudly.

"Good," said Ron suddenly, his face held up in pain, "I wouldn't mind if you found a solution for a stomach ache. Letting me be the first to know would be nice of you."

"Go to the infirmary, you idiot!"

The walk down to the dungeons was much more cheerful than it should have been. It seemed to Hermione that ever since Snape had accepted the Defense against the Dark Arts post, the upper floors of Hogwarts had been darker, and the dungeons had lightened up.

Harry and Ron had talked to Professor McGonagall and decided to take up potions again. So the three hurried down the next morning to their first class in Advanced Potion Making.

"Excellent," Ron murmured. "Crabbe and Goyle were too stupid to make it to N.E.W.T level. Oh, but… Malfoy got in. Bummer…"

Harry and Hermione could indeed see that Malfoy had made it. Three other Slytherins that were all trying to make him laugh surrounded him. However, no matter how funny the joke, he did not smile. The dungeon doors swung open to reveal Slughorn, beaming at his students.

"Harry, m'boy!" he bellowed. "It's a pleasure to see you in my class! Now hurry inside, all of you! We've much to do today!"

"Sir?" said Harry, "Ron and I don't have any of the materials. We didn't know that we'd be able to take this class, you see-"

"Say no more, m'boy, say no more! You and your friend are more than welcome to borrow from me! There are several extra copies of _Advanced Potion-Making _I'm sure! And the scales are in the back…"

Hermione, eager to start the lesson, pushed her way past them and into the room, seizing the closest table to the front. Harry and Ron joined her once they had collected their things, and the lesson began.

"Now," said Slughorn, "I had planned a great surprise for our first class, but the – err – subject of that class needs one more day to brew, so I'll save that for tomorrow. Right now what I want you to do is make a potion – any kind – without using your book at all. Those who finish by the end of the day will get to take a sneak peak at tomorrow's surprise!"

By the time half an hour had passed, Hermione had finished her perfectly made sleeping potion, something that would have taken a normal student the full class time to complete. Purple, shimmering fumes were creeping out of the top of her cauldron, filling the dungeon with a sticky, lavender-like scent that was starting to make everyone drowsy. "Very nice, Miss, err…"

"Granger, sir."

"Granger." said Slughorn, suppressing a yawn. Suddenly, his senses were alert. He turned to Harry, smiling hugely. "Oho! _'One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she's the best in our year!' _I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry as Hermione turned a brilliant shade of scarlet.

"Excellent!" said Slughorn. "Take twenty points for Gryffindor."

Hermione beamed, but noticing that every eye in the room was staring at her, she blushed and hid her head as best she could, pretending to pick up the frog spawn that had spilled across the floor. Once Slughorn had gone to inspect Ernie Macmillan's rather smelly strength concoction, she shot up, still beaming.

"Did you really tell him I was the best in the year?" asked Hermione in a pleased voice. "Oh, Harry!"

"Big deal!" came a very loud drawl from the corner of the dungeon. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the three Slytherins that had heard it turned to look. It was Malfoy. He was sitting with his chair leaned back against the stone wall, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "Even without you telling him that, Potter, he would have found out sooner than later. Everyone in the school knows that she's the best in our year. Even _I _would have told him if he'd asked me!"

All six people watching him give his speech stared at him blankly. Finally, Blaise Zabini said, "Malfoy, what in the name of Merlin are you talking about?"

He blinked, the scowl still on his face. "I just don't know why everyone praises her so much," he replied quickly. "I mean, after all, she is a _Mudblood_."


	2. Project 'Keeper'

Project 'Keeper'

The effect of Malfoy's words was instantaneous. Ron and Harry jumped up from their seats as fast as they could, drawing their wands and shouting insults of every kind. The Slytherins extracted their own wands, ready to protect their ring-leader at all costs.

Slughorn had noticed the commotion and tried to put a stop to it as jets of yellow and red light streaked across the room, but it was too late: A spell hit a Ravenclaw girl's cauldron, and her exploding potion detonated. Half the class was covered in hot, blue goo that singed their skin. Slughorn sent those hit to Madam Pomfrey. There were only three students left.

Ernie Macmillan, Hermione, and Malfoy remained in their seats. Slughorn seemed quite flustered. "Err, I suppose today's lesson was a bit of a failure, hm?" said Slughorn. He then let out a booming laugh that made the three jump. "Not to fear! Continue to look forward to tomorrow! This reminds me… Miss Granger, would you be so kind as to take a look at the 'surprise' for the next lesson? I'm sure one so bright would find it of great educational value…"

Hermione followed Slughorn into his office. He closed the door behind her, and she gasped. "Sir! Is…is that…?"

"You are a smart one!" he boomed. "You would be correct in thinking that before you is Veritaserum."

There were four cauldrons in front of them. Hermione was pointing excitedly to the closest one, almost jumping up and down from excitement. It was a small cauldron, and the contents looked like water. "And this one…!" said she, pointing to the next.

"You know these potions well, do you not?" Slughorn asked happily.

"Sir, how long have you been planning this project?" asked Hermione.

"Almost two months!"

"Is this one done brewing?"

"The Polyjuice? Yes, I added the last of the lacewings yesterday. It's good and ripe! Now, I don't want to spoil the lesson too much. You'd better get to your next class."

"Yes, sir," said Hermione, and shot out of the office, a very secretive smile on her face.

"I found a solution." Hermione announced once Harry and Ron joined her for dinner later that day, blue-goo free.

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Oh?"

"Polyjuice Potion." She continued, her voice low enough so Ron couldn't hear. "Slughorn is planning to display it in his lesson tomorrow. We could disguise ourselves as Slytherins and then we could watch the tryouts! No one will accuse you of cheating, and Ron will get some extra practice before next week."

"So you expect Slughorn to just hand over the potion and be done with it?" asked Harry.

"Of course not! We'll have to steal some."

"Hermione," said Harry, "Have you gone mad? You're trying to convince me to break the law. The punishment would go down in history as Filch's most torturous yet. Are you willing to go to that length just for Ron?"

"We're friends, aren't we? This is the only shot we'll get. The tryouts are right after dinner!" she said.

Harry said no more. After dinner, they both made up excuses so Ron would go back to the Common room first. Checking to make sure Slughorn was still eating (and not ready to leave anytime soon by the look of his plate,) they hurried down to the dungeons once more with two tiny flasks, filled them to the brim with the potion, and darted back out almost seconds before the Professor rounded the corner.

"Now for the hair," whispered Harry. "Who wouldn't go to the tryouts in that house? Best to play it safe. I'll bring the cloak just in case. You find the hair, and I'll get the cloak."

Hermione nodded. She ran down the corridor, looking for victims. Then she saw them. The disgusting creatures were sitting in a dark corner, practically glued to each other. She shook her head as she pulled out her wand. Looking to see if the floor was completely deserted besides herself and them, she then whispered, _"Petrificus Totalus!"_

The two Slytherins froze instantly, falling over and onto their faces. That way they wouldn't be able to see who it was. Hermione rushed over and yanked some hair from the boy and the girl, then rushed away.

Harry met her at the entrance, the cloak in hand. They added the hair. Harry's potion turned the color of red sand, and Hermione's darkened into a deep blue. Before he could say go, she had already chugged down her potion, and had changed into a Slytherin. Harry checked to make sure the transformation had gone all right, then drank his own potion.

"Project 'Keeper' is now in effect." Hermione whispered, and they pushed open the doors and walked down to the Quidditch pitch.


	3. The Mistake

**I don't own ANYTHING!!!! Sadly....**

* * *

The Mistake

"Look," said Harry, pointing to a Slytherin player in the air, "They're still trying Beaters. They'll start the Keepers after this."

"How are we going to get this information to Ron?" asked Hermione in a low voice as they took their seats in the stands.

"Do what you do best," said Harry. "Take notes."

Hermione waved her wand a little, and a black-leather notebook and a tan quill appeared before her. She opened it nervously, ready to jot down anything helpful that might come to mind.

"Keepers, round up at the goal posts!" Urquhart, the Slytherin captain called.

Five streaks of green and silver shot past them and halted mid-air. The Keeper trials began. Hermione was scribbling furiously as Harry whispered things he observed in her ear. Every now and then she would look up to watch and then dark back down again.

"Oi! Joylock! Shamund! What are you two doing here!"

Hermione and Harry looked up. A Slytherin boy they didn't know was hovering close to them on his Cleansweap 10, the most murderous expression on his face.

"Err," said Harry, "Watching the tryouts?"

"I thought I told you never to come to the Quidditch pitch again!"

Hermione blinked. This was not good. They glanced at each other, not quite sure what to do. Beyond the Slytherin boy, the Seeker trials had begun. Then the boy blinked. He was staring at Hermione very hard. "W-what?" she asked.

"Joylock, what's happening to your hair?" the boy asked. Harry gasped.

"We need to go, now!" he whispered. "You drank your potion before I did, so it ran out faster. It's already been an hour!"

She could feel herself shrinking, her hair growing, her face tightening. Hermione stood up. "Well, since you don't want us here I suppose we'd better go, hm? Come on!"

They ran past the boy and down the steps to the edge of the Quidditch pitch. By the time they were almost out of the field, Hermione was back to her normal body, and Harry was just starting to change. A pair of cold, silver eyes met hers as they disappeared from sight of the players.

Hermione shivered. Harry sighed. "That was close. Who was that kid? A second year? He didn't look too thrilled at our presence."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. But…I feel like someone saw me. I don't like this."

"No one saw us." said Harry firmly. "That reminds me, we'd better get under the cloak, just in case. Ron will be wondering what's taking us so long. We don't want any Slytherins to see us sneaking away from their tryouts."

Harry threw the invisibility cloak over them, and they walked back to the school. Once inside the front entrance, he pulled it off of them and they went back to the common room.

"Dragon breath," Harry said to the Fat Lady, and the portrait hole opened.

They stepped inside, both very tired. It had been a long day. Ron was waiting for them by the fireplace, making pink bubbles with his wand. He looked up when they entered the room. "There you two are!" he called. "You were gone for a whole hour!"

"Sorry, library. Do you want to practice Quidditch after dinner tomorrow?" Harry asked him.

Suddenly, Hermione gasped. Ron and Harry looked at her questioningly. Then, Harry noticed it too. "I-" Hermione stuttered, "I must have left my homework in the library! It's due tomorrow. I'll go back and get it!" Before either of the boys could say a word, she darted back out of the portrait hole and down a flight of steps. She had left the notebook on the Quidditch pitch.

The tryouts would be over by now, so she was sure no one would see her. It was really dark by the time she had exited the school. She didn't see any shapes still in the sky, or any loitering around the grounds. Reaching the stairs up to the stands, she raced up them, then started searching around the seats they had been watching the Keepers.

"Oh, thank goodness," she sighed as the tiny notebook came into view. _"Accio!" _The book flew into her hands, and she started back down the stairs.

She didn't make it very far.

Something grabbed her, covering her mouth and holding her arms behind her back. She felt the notebook slip from her grasp, and had a sinking feeling in her heart when she realized her wand had fallen with it.

The stairs up to the stands were spiraled down, and covered by the same painted wood at outlined the Quidditch field. She found herself being pushed into the wood, her arms released, and a horribly familiar voice whisper, _"Lumos,"_

Draco Malfoy's silver eyes were the first thing she saw when the wand ignited. Then she saw him smile coldly. "I thought I saw your bushy hair exiting the Quidditch pitch earlier. I saw Amanda Joylock writing in a notebook during the Keeper trials. I thought it was odd, seeing as she never bothers to pick up her quill in class. I was positive that I saw Amanda turn into Hermione Granger while she was leaving."

Mortified, Hermione tried to say something through his fingers, but he pressed his cold hand against her mouth even harder to silence her.

"I knew that if you came back to get the notebook instead of her, then I hadn't been seeing things. I suppose I was right. So, what were you doing, Granger? Did Potter send you to spy on our tryouts?"

Hermione pulled free of the hand preventing her from speaking. "Of course not!" she yelled. "Harry would never-"

"Ah, but Potter was there with you, wasn't he?" Malfoy asked. "Urquhart told me that someone had found Joylock and Shamund petrified in the hall sometime after the trials. So how did you do it?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Well," sighed Malfoy, "It makes no difference to me. I'll just let everyone know that the Gryffindor team cheats."

"Didn't I tell you?" Hermione shrieked, "We wouldn't cheat!"

Suddenly she was back against the wall again, both hands being held by Malfoy above her head. His cold, hard face was less than an inch from her own. "Do you honestly think that I care?" he asked. Hermione shivered. This man…was seriously scary. "It doesn't matter if it's true or not, no matter how you look at it, the evidence you left behind makes it seem that you cheated. If you don't want rumors of your precious Potter floating around, I suggest we make a deal."

Hermione admit defeat silently. She had no idea someone could scare her this much. The cold, heartless glint in his eyes made her feel like if she didn't obey him, disasters would follow the rest of her days. "What?" she whispered.

Malfoy put his mouth next to her ear and whispered quietly, "From now on, do as I say."

* * *

There was no way she could believe this. One moment she was on her way to helping her friend become the team's next Keeper, and the next Hermione Granger was stuck as Draco Malfoy's slave for life.


	4. An Unpleasant Situation

**I don't own ANYTHING!!! Sadly....**

* * *

An Unpleasant Situation

The rules had been set. The conditions ratified. Hermione had absolutely no choice.

First of all, she always had to come whenever she got an owl from him. Second, no one could be told that she was obeying him. Third, she was to carry out his orders without question. Failure to follow these rules would result not only in the public announcement that Gryffindors cheat, but also that she had illegally stolen and used Polyjuice Potion (as he later figured out.)

Hermione returned to the Common room and gave Harry the notebook, quite glad to be rid of the thing that landed her in this unpleasant situation. She pulled herself up the stairs and into the girls dormitory, throwing herself on her four-poster bed with a long, exhausted sigh.

This would be the absolute longest year of her life.

* * *

The morning came much too quickly. She found herself sitting next to Ron in the great hall while he gulped down bacon, choked on orange juice, and completely inhaled his eggs while Harry was quietly flipping through her notes, every now and then nibbling on a piece of toast.

Hermione didn't eat. She didn't have an appetite. She gas glancing nonchalantly around the hall, trying to keep her mind off her troubles when the morning post zoomed in. Pigwidgeon fell into the milk jug, spurting it everywhere.

"Oi! Stupid, feathery git! Watch where you're landing next time, will you?!" Ron yelled, jumping up and grabbing his palm-sized owl before the three letters he was carrying got soaked.

Hedwig landed gracefully before Harry, a rolled-up parchment tied to her leg. As Harry was untying it, a brown barn owl came before Hermione, holding a Daily Prophet and…

Se looked up. Straight across the room, Malfoy was staring at her. When their eyes met, his white-blond eyebrows rose as if to say, _Open it._

She glanced back at the white envelope in her hands, not really wanting to break the seal. However, she found her hands tearing open the top half of the envelope, and a folded paper came out. She made sure that Harry and Ron were looking elsewhere, then read the letter.

_Granger,_

_Get me a muffin. There are no blueberry ones at Slytherin table._

Hermione crunched the letter in her fist. "I feel like a fool." She muttered. She had been seriously worrying about what he would say to her, and then he asks for a blueberry muffin?

Being careful to control her anger, and reached over to the muffin basket, took out the desired object, and pointer her wand at it, whispering quietly, _"Wingardium Leviosa,"_

The muffin rose from the table and floated across the room, close to the floor so no one would see it. It rose again and placed itself right in front of Malfoy, who grabbed it and took a bite without hesitation.

Hermione shook her head. She couldn't believe she had just done that.

"Guys," Harry said suddenly. Hermione and Ron looked at him. He was holding the scroll of parchment that Hedwig had brought to him. "It's from Professor Dumbledore. He wants me to come to his office tonight at seven."

"Blimey," Ron murmured. "What'd you think he wants to talk to you about?"

"Dunno," he replied.

"It must be something really important," said Hermione.

"'P.S., I enjoy Acid Pops,'" Ron read. "He enjoys Acid Pops? What in the blazes is that supposed to mean?"

"It's time for potions." said Hermione. "Let's go."

"I suppose I won't get to practice with you after dinner tonight." said Harry reluctantly as the three stood.

They reached the dungeon about five minutes before the class started. Ernie Macmillan was already there, and they were soon joined by the Ravenclaws, and then the Slytherins. Hermione avoided Malfoy's gaze as Slughorn opened the door with his usual loud greeting while she found that they tried to get through the door at the same time.

Harry reached their table and Hermione smiled as she saw the cauldrons she had seen yesterday on Slughorn's desk.

"Now then," said Slughorn, returning to the front of the class. "I've prepared a few potions for you to look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of things you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"

To no ones surprise, Hermione's hand shot into the air and Slughorn pointed at her, even thought she had identified it the day before.

"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the user to tell the truth."

"And you do know this one, no?" he asked, pointing to another caldron.

"Polyjuice Potion, sir."

"Excellent, excellent! Now, this one here…yes, my dear?"

"It's Amorteia!"

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask, since you identified the first two yesterday without any hint from me, but could you tell me what it does?"

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"

Several of the Ravenclaw girls giggled, and Ron looked up from a piece of lint he had been playing with, staring at her like he had never seen anything quite so extraordinary. From behind them, Malfoy looked up too.

"Quite right!"

"It's very easy to recognize because of its mother-of-pearl sheen, and also the steam rising in characteristic spirals. It's supposed to smell different to everyone, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly-mown grass, and new parchment, and blue-"

She turned pink and stopped speaking. None of them ever found out what kind of "blue" she could smell.

"Very good, very good, Miss Granger! Take twenty points for Gryffindor."

Hermione smiled, still slightly embarrassed.

"And now, it is time for us to start work."

"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," said Ernie Macmillan, pointing to the smallest cauldron on Slughorn's desk.

"Oho," said Slughorn, "Yes. That. Well, _that _one, ladies and gentleman, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis."

Hermione let out an audible gasp.

"I take it that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?"

"It's liquid luck!" she said excitedly.

Slughorn went to explain that they would be attempting to make the Draught of Living Death, and the one that succeeded would obtain a small bottle of it as a prize. Taking care to warn them that it was banned for sporting events and tests, he then told then to turn to page ten in their copies of _Advanced Potion-Making_, and told them to start.

Hermione was just beginning to get the right ingredients when a paper airplane, the kind that Muggles fold, landed in her lap.

It was from Malfoy. She turned to look at him, and he was staring sincerely back at her, the most serious expression on his face. She unfolded the airplane, and read the five words scribbled in black ink on it:

_Get me that lucky potion._


	5. The HalfBlood Prince

**I don't own ANYTHING!!! Sadly....**

* * *

The Half-Blood Prince

"Can I borrow your silver knife?" asked Harry.

Hermione, who had already used it, nodded impatiently, not taking her eyes off of her potion. What was she doing wrong? It should be lilac by now, but it remained clear as water. She glanced over at Harry who was bending over his book. He stirred his potion, and it turned a pale pink.

"How are you _doing _that?" she asked in annoyance.

"Add a clockwise stir-"

"No, no, the book says counterclockwise!" This was bad; the one day she couldn't seem to perform well was the day she was being threatened by Malfoy. She felt panic well up inside of her. She consulted her book once more. She had already done everything in the instructions.

"And time's…up!" called Slughorn. Her heart sank. Slughorn moved from cauldron to cauldron, looking and sniffing the air around the shimmering fumes. He peered into Harry's cauldron, and a smile lit up his face. "The clear winner! Excellent, excellent, Harry!"

Hermione sat down as Slughorn started to praise Harry to high heaven. She didn't understand. Why couldn't she finish the potion? Nervously, she looked over her shoulder. Malfoy was staring at Harry, his hands gripping the edge of his table so hard his knuckles were white.

Harry stowed the tiny bottle in his robes as the three exited the classroom.

"How did you do that?" asked Hermione again.

"Just got lucky, I suppose." He said.

* * *

The rest of the day progressed slowly. At dinner, Harry told them about his potions book.

"So you had someone helping you from the sidelines," Hermione said. "Who wrote all that stuff in there?"

"Someone called the 'Half-Blood Prince'." said Harry. "I dunno. It's a really old book. Around the time my parents were in school."

"Prince," Hermione said. "Prince…Hm…I wonder if that's a surname?"

"Seems dodgy to me, mate," said Ron, "But it helped you brew a nice potion, right? So it can't be all that horrible. It's just a plain old text book that some genius kid wrote corrections on."

"It's almost seven." Hermione pointed out.

Harry nodded and stood, abandoning his chicken. "See you later, then."

After Harry left, Hermione and Ron had nothing much else to do. "Shall we go back to the common room, then?" said Ron. "You can help me with my Charms essay."

"Actually, Ron," said Hermione, "I have some things to do. S.P.E.W stuff."

"Alright then. But…help me with the essay a little later, okay?"

She smiled. "I'll help you, don't worry."

She went out into the corridor, her footsteps echoing. There was only one place that she could spend time to calm herself: the library. She chose her favorite chair against a row of books and started reading _The Apprentice's Jinx _for the fifth time. Suddenly, a shadow blocked her light.

"Granger?"

She looked up to see Cormac Mclaggen in front of her, holding a few books in his arms. "Oh," said Hermione, "Hello."

He beamed at her and sat down in the chair next to her. She edged to the other side of her chair.

"So," he said, "Did you hear about Professor Slughorn's party he's throwing?"

Hermione blinked. "I'm not entirely sure," she said carefully, "Why?"

"I heard about it," Cormac said as if she hadn't spoken. "After all, I am in the Slug Club. I think you are too, but I suppose you haven't gotten the owl, yet. I wasn't very surprised when I was invited, of course."

"So what about the party?" she asked, wanting him to stop talking about himself. Ron had been right about how vain he was.

Cormac smiled at her. "I was hoping you would go with me? We're supposed to bring dates…"

Hermione stood up abruptly half-way through his sentence. "Oh, look at the time! I have to get back to Ron, now, he wants me to help him with his homework."

"I'll go with you," he said, standing too.

Hermione took a step back. He took a step forward. She shuffled left. He did, too. "Really, it's fine! You don't need to."

"I know you think that I'm completely wonderful for offering to escort you back, and I know that you are too embarrassed to accept, but I must insist."

She stared at him. Was he really that conceited?

* * *

"Oh, you're back," Ron said when Hermione came through the portrait hole. "Oh, it's…Mclaggen."

"Hello, Weasley. Ready for the trials on Sunday? I've been practicing." Cormac said.

Ron's face fell a little. "Is…that so?"

"Well," he said, stretching, "I'd best get to bed. Got to get up early tomorrow, get in an hour or two of practice before breakfast."

When Cormac had gone, Ron muttered, "Stupid, brainless git. Why'd you come back with _him_?"

"He forced me." said Hermione.

The portrait hole opened again and Harry stepped inside. Ron and Hermione jumped to attention.

"Harry!" called Ron. "Tell us what happened! What did Professor Dumbledore want to talk to you about?"

Harry shook his head. "I'll tell you tomorrow. I'm tired."

After he left, Ron looked at Hermione and shrugged. "I suppose we'll wait till tomorrow."

A sudden tapping came to their attention. At the window there was an Eagle owl. Ron jumped out of his chair and went to the window. He opened it, and the owl flew inside. It dropped whatever it was carrying in its beak on the floor in front of Hermione, and swooped back out of the window.

"That for you?" asked Ron as Hermione stooped down to pick it up. "Odd time to deliver something."

"Sorry, Ron, I'm a bit tired, too. I'll help you with your essay tomorrow." She said, and dashed up the steps to the girls' dormitory. What on earth could Malfoy want at this time of night? She jumped onto her four-poster and drew the curtains. Lighting her wand, she unrolled the parchment and began to read. The paper said the following:

_Granger,_

_Come to the RoR on Sunday after the Prefect meeting with as many books on vanishing spells as you can find. Ask for the 'place that is hidden.' Find me._

_Draco Malfoy_

"The 'RoR,'" she whispered. "Can he mean…the Room of Requirement?"

She wondered why he wanted books on vanishing spells. What was Malfoy planning? Whatever it was, Hermione was going to find out.


	6. Mishap

**I don't own ANYTHING!!! Sadly....**

* * *

Mishap

The following day Harry talked to Hermione and Ron about his lesson with Dumbledore. He explained the memory shown to him in great detail, and a lengthy conversation followed. But breakfast could only last so long.

Potions was much too long for Hermione, seeing as she could feel the stares of the Slytherin behind her. She was uncomfortable the entire class.

And she stayed that was over the next three days, phasing from the library to look up the Half-Blood Prince, checking out the desired books for Malfoy, and running away from Mclaggen, who had somehow memorized her schedule and was ready to ambush her every time she turned a corner.

Despite her hectic schedule, Harry and Ron found time to try and help share the load in between their Quidditch practice, by offering to get books, organize her homework for her, and Ron even offered to jinx Mclaggen.

When Sunday arrived, she was ready. All in all, she had found over thirty books in the library, and had to cast a hover charm on them to spare her from breaking her back. The day before she had indeed received Slughorn's invitation to join the Slug Club, as did Harry, and they both politely accepted.

"I'm nervous." said Ron uncertainly.

"Sure you are," said Harry, patting him on the back, "That's normal. Just act like you're playing a game, mate."

"Just playing a game." Ron repeated.

"You'll be fine, Ron," said Hermione. "Didn't Harry give you those nice pointers? You'll be brilliant if you remember those."

"Shall we go down, then?" suggested Harry. Hermione nodded and stood.

The trio went down from the common room and exited the school. Hermione observed that quite a large number of people had decided to come and watch from all four houses. She spotted a tall, blond someone sitting in the stands. Just as she thought who it might be, he turned around and their eyes met. She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling her blood freeze over.

Ron, who had stopped at the entrance to the Quidditch field, realized that she wasn't walking with them, and said something to Harry about going ahead. He nodded, and left for the changing rooms as Ron ran back to where she was still frozen.

"All right, Hermione?" he asked.

She came crashing back down to earth, and her eyes tore away from the icy glare that had held her captive. "Oh! Y-yes. I'm sorry, I just…was…err, nervous, I guess."

Ron let out a shaky laugh. "I'm the one who should be saying that. But I was wondering…Would you do something for me? It would really help calm my nerves."

Hermione nodded, still aware of the unblinking eyes fixed on her. Why didn't he look away? "Anything."

To her surprise, he turned slightly red. "O-okay, then. Um…" It all happened so quick, she barely had time to think. Ron lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers briefly, pulling back just as fast. She didn't move. She jut stared at him, all thought of their observer gone. "Think about that for me," he whispered, turning sharply on his heal and running for the changing rooms, the tips of his ears glowing bright red.

She slumped to her knees, staring after the place that he had disappeared. She raised a shaky hand and brought it to her mouth. When her fingers brushed her bottom lip, she felt the blood rushing to her face. "Merlin's beard," she whispered.

She wouldn't be going to the Prefect meeting tonight. Slowly coming to her senses, she stood, but found her legs carrying her in the wrong direction. She was heading back to the castle, gaining speed with every step. Soon she was running.

She burst past the doors and dashed up thirty or so staircases, reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Dra-dragon's…breath," she gasped. The picture swung open, and she dashed inside. Quickly charming the mountain books she had to follow her, she ran back out and up three more flights until she reached the blank stretch of wall.

Remembering her instructions, she walked past it feverishly, thinking, _"I need the place that it hidden…the place that is hidden…anything that can hide me, please…"_

Suddenly, a door appeared. She ruthlessly grabbed and yanked on the handle, tripping over her own feet when the door opened and landing flat on her face, the books falling over and around her as the spell broke.

"Nice of you to drop by, Granger." Malfoy drawled from a few feet inside the room. "I thought you'd come here to hide when you ran from the trials."

"Shut up, Malfoy," she mumbled, not even attempting to deny it. "How did you get here before me?"

"When you left I decided that now would be the best time to start, so I came straight here. I've been waiting for a little over thirty seconds, slave."

"I'm not your slave." She growled, getting to her feet and brushing the dirt off her robes.

"Did someone say 'law breaker?"" he asked loudly. "I don't care. I've got you under my thumb, and you will do as I say unless you want your precious secrets to be spilled to the entire school. How would people treat Potter then?"

She didn't respond, picking up books and placing them on the inside wall of the room instead. He took her silence as his win, and sat down in a chair that was in front of a huge vase that a small child could crawl into.

Hermione then looked at the room. It was covered in junk. Radios, quills, parchment, furniture, books, hats, empty sherry bottles, old, faded-black robes, a ripped purple curtain, dark arts detectors, broken glass, snapped wands, Muggle newspapers, one or two editions of the Quibbler, a bronze statue of a Hippogriff, unfinished homework assignments, a bust of an old man wearing a wig and a discolored tiara, what looked like a half-eaten banana, and a telescope filled her vision. And that was just the first row.

"Never knew about this place, did you, Granger?" Malfoy asked, seeing her awe-struck expression. She shook her head, unable to find words. "Well, then, grab a few of your books and follow me."

He started walking into the mounds and mounds of objects, and Hermione had to run to keep up with him, waving her wand as five or so of the books zoomed after them.

"Where are we going?"

"No questions, Granger."

They walked for almost five minutes. It was insane how much junk lined the walls. Finally, he stopped. He turned to look at her and said, "Stay here. Don't go away and don't move." He continued past a tall row of shelves covered in small, glass orbs and disappeared. Even behind the cover of the shelves, she could still hear his voice. "Open one of the books and find try to find a long distance spell."

She started shuffling through the pages of one of them, the whole time her thoughts raging in her head.

_Ron kissed me._

_But what does Malfoy want with vanishing spells here?_

_Ron obviously likes me._

_Why does he want my help?_

_What should I say to him?_

_I wonder what he's doing behind that shelf…_

After she found a spell that seemed appropriate, she read the details to him. She heard him mutter the incantation under his breath several times. Curious, she quietly took a step forward. She had to find out what he was doing. Taking another step, Malfoy muttered something once again, but this time something happened.

There was a flash of white light and a loud _crack! _Suddenly, the shelf in front of her fell backward, the glass orbs falling and shattering against the ground as a scream rose up against the ceiling. She was frozen once more, and watched in horror as the dark color of blood oozed out across the floor.

Malfoy's blood.


	7. And So It Began

**I don't own ANYTHING!!! Sadly....**

* * *

And So It Began

"_Malfoy!_"

Hermione rushed over to the disaster area, the ends of her robes getting covered in blood. The smell of iron was too strong. She had to swallow back the bile rising in her throat.

What should she do?

What _could _she do?

"Malfoy, where are you?!" she yelled.

A tiny groan answered her, and her eyes found him. The glass had shattered directly over him. There was a cut on his forehead, cheek, and directly under his left eye. The shelf had fallen on top of him.

_"Botrumente!" _She cried, pointing her wand at the shelf. It rose slightly, and she guided it with her wand until it was far away from them. She let it drop, and when the wood hit the floor, it shattered into millions of flower petals.

She kneeled beside him, wincing as the broken glass dug into her knees. His eyes were closed. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard.

"Malfoy. Malfoy! Open your eyes!"

She quieted to listen for the sound of his breath. She was greeted by total silence. They were now in the middle of a huge pool of blood. Hermione put her hand next to his mouth, but no warmth from his breath touched her fingertips.

"Malfoy! Come on! Open your eyes!" Nothing happened. Hermione took a large breath. _"Wake up you stupid Slytherin! Don't you DARE die! How am I supposed to explain this to everyone if you do?! PRAT! BREATHE, DRACO!"_

On hearing his first name, he twitched. She held her breath.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. Pointing her wand at his nearest cut, she said, _"Episkey,"_ The cut disappeared. She had little confidence in healing him herself. She had to get Madam Pomfrey. Standing to leave, she took a single step before she felt cold fingers close around her hand.

Malfoy's eyes were open. "Don't leave," he whispered.

Hermione wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. "I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing," she said, supporting him as she walked. "You're not going to die on my watch."

They walked down the corridor. It was completely deserted. Everyone in the whole school was at dinner. Malfoy started to take larger, deeper breaths. When they finally got to the doors of the Hospital Wing, Hermione was relieved.

"How did this happen?" she asked as she helped Malfoy to the nearest bed. Madam Pomfrey was nowhere in sight.

"None of your business." He said quietly.

"Look, I'm trying to help you!"

"If you really want to help me, then do as I say!"

"You haven't said _anything_ yet!"

"Well, I'm about to! Listen, I know it doesn't look it, but this hurts worse than hell! I need some sort of distraction from the pain!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "What kind of distraction?" she asked.

All too soon she was aware of Malfoy's eyes. They were looking far past her outer shell. She was being pierced by his gaze. She never would have believed he had said it if she hadn't seen his lips move.

"Kiss me."

The room was silent. She stared at him. After a very long moment, she whispered, "What?"

"No questions, Mudblood, that was part of the deal." said Malfoy. "Do it or I'll let the Ministry know that you broke the law."

Despite herself, she took a step towards him. "You call this a distraction?"

He didn't answer. With no choice left to her, she sat on the edge of his bed. It was either the punishment of law and humiliation for her school house, or the distraction of Malfoy. Very hesitantly, she leaned forward. She could feel his breath on her face. It was very faint. She reminded herself that his life could still be in danger. She despised him for making her worry. She despised him for blackmailing her into doing these things she didn't understand. She despised him in general.

When their lips were an inch from the others, she whispered "I really hate you, Draco Malfoy."

BANG!

The Hospital Wing doors burst open with such force that the entire castle trembled, and Madam Pomfrey rushed inside. Hermione jumped back off the bed so that she was standing. Malfoy was blinking up at her, a calm expression on his face, almost as if nothing had happened. But he knew, as well as Hermione did, that they had almost done something unforgivable.

"What on earth happened?!" Madam Pomfrey screamed at the top of her lungs. "I come back to from the Great Hall after dinner only to find an enormous trail of blood leading back to my office! Mr. Malfoy, why are you in this state?!"

"Window broke and the glass fell on me," he lied with ease.

"Please, he needs immediate treatment, Miss Granger! I must ask you to leave, as removing glass is something horrible to watch. And please inform Professor Dumbledore so that he may contact his parents. Merlin knows what Lucius will accuse him of this time!"

She was practically forced out of the room. Not wanting to waste a second, she set out to find Dumbledore. She had heard about his office from Harry, who had taken countless trips to it. Finally reaching the stone Gargoyle, she realized that she didn't know how to get inside.

Getting an idea, she said, "Acid Pops?" The Gargoyle leapt to life and graciously moved aside for her. She dashed up the circular staircase and knocked on the door at the top.

"Come in," came the pleasant voice of an elderly man.

Hermione opened the door and stepped inside. The office was magnificent. She would have taken a longer time to look around, but she was much too nervous at the present time.

"Miss Granger," said Professor Dumbledore, "How may I help you?"

"Professor," she said, starting to explain immediately, "Malfoy got hurt. Madam Pomfrey sent me to tell you to contact his parents."

Dumbledore's smiling face fell ever so slightly. "Did he? Oh, Severus, it seems you have not been doing your job…"

She stared at him questioningly. "Sir?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Miss Granger." He said, the cheery air back in his voice. "However, I'm afraid I must impose upon you to ask of a favor before I can contact Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Will you hear me out?"

How could she refuse?

"Take a seat." He said once she agreed. "Now, you must promise me that the only one who will know of this agreement is me and yourself. This is crucial."

"Yes, sir."

"I need you to…observe Draco for me. Get him to trust you. Talk to him. After he heals, of course."

Hermione blinked. "Observe?" she asked. "How so?"

"If getting my point across is best served by bluntness, then I'm afraid that I must be quite blunt," said Dumbledore. "So – all bluntness considered – I need you to spy on him. Become his ally. I have one more person doing this for me, but I fear someone his own age might just prove more useful and…effective. You may use whatever motives you can to learn of what he is doing inside the Room of Requirement without him realizing it. Would you do this for me?"

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. "You want me to-"

"Spy on him, yes. Trust me, Miss Granger, by agreeing to do this, you just might save someone's life. Including his."

**Hello, readers. I decided to say something: This is the first Fanfiction I have ever wrote, so I'm not too familiar with this thing called "feedback". I just want to let you know how happy I am that most of it has been positive. Now that the plot is starting to come in, I'm really excited to write more! Please keep reading ****An Unpleasant** **Situation****!**


	8. Narcissa

**I don't own ANYTHING!!! Sadly....**

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Narcissa

When the portrait of the Fat Lady opened, a loud noise met her ears.

"Hermione! I did it! I'm the keeper! I – is that _blood?_"

Hermione ignored Ron's horrified expression and rushed past him, Harry, a very distraught-looking Cormac, and a few first years, all of whom were staring at the bushy-haired girl covered in red. She ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, grabbed a pair of clean robes from her trunk, and dashed off to the showers. After a good rinse, she was free of Draco's blood (and some of her own, since she had kneeled in the glass shards to revive him.

Dumbledore's task was too great. How could she do this? But he had said that she might save lives. Would she be willing to pay the price that came with getting him to trust her?

* * *

The next day she was very much put out. Should she go and visit Malfoy? After all, now that she thought about it, she might have been the one to cause the accident. It wouldn't have happened if she had not read him the spell. But still, what did he want with it in the first place?

Her confusion multiplied whenever she thought about it. However much she battled in her mind with 'Do's' and 'Don't' she received the owl before she came to a decision.

"You've been getting a lot of mail, recently," Harry commented as Hermione untied a letter from a particularly fat owl's leg. It was Monday morning, and today they had alternate schedules, so no potion's class.

"Oh, err, yes, I suppose I have." She said sheepishly.

"That Skeeter woman isn't giving you any more trouble, is she?"

"Oh, no. Nothing like that. They're…from my mum."

Harry's attention was grabbed by Ron, who had decided to boast loudly about his new position on the Gryffindor team to anyone who would listen. Hermione noticed that it was directed mostly at Lavender Brown, who was hanging on his every word and nodding furiously.

A prick of annoyance entered her emotion, but she pushed it away when she remembered the letter in her hands.

_I'll give you further instructions when you reach the hospital wing. Don't let anyone see you come or go._

_Draco_

It dawned on her that she _had_ to visit him now. And for some odd thing he would order her to do.

"_Trust me, Miss Granger, by agreeing to do this, you just might save someone's life. Including his."_

Hermione blinked. Now would be the perfect time to begin her task. She stood.

"Hermione?"

"Library," she lied, and ran out of the Great Hall. On her way to the hospital wing, she realized that Dumbledore knew that Malfoy was doing something in the Room of Requirement. She wondered how, since she had said nothing to him of his Blackmail.

She was about to open the double doors and enter when she heard a voice.

"….not the point, Draco, the point is that you have someone outside our circle helping you and-"

"I'm well aware that I was out of line asking this person's help, but it's not as if I can ask any of the teacher's, is it? Professor Snape had been trying to get answers out of me ever since term began! Besides, this person can't let others know, so it's perfectly safe."

"And what," Narcissa Malfoy asked her son coldly, "Makes you think that if they learn of your assignment, they will not expose it to the entire world? This is a much more serious matter than you realize, Draco."

"I know!" Malfoy said angrily. "But she won't tell anyone! I know she won't!"

"'She?' You have a woman helping you? Who is it, Draco?"

"That is none of your business. How I carry out the Dark Lords order's is for me to decide, and me alone!"

"You are worrying me to death, acting the way you do! Do you have any idea how much I pleaded with the Dark Lord to have him give this task to another? This is punishment, Draco, and slow torture for us!"

Hermione realized what they were talking about. This was much more serious than she imagined. She suddenly remembered over the summer, how she, Harry and Ron had tailed him into Borgin and Burkes. He had talked about fixing something. And then on the train, Harry had given his opinion on how he was positive Malfoy had become a Death Eater in his father's place.

Now she saw it was true. Draco Malfoy had joined the ranks of the Death Eaters, and was even given a special assignment by Voldemort himself. What it was, she had no clue. But it was her duty to find out.

She didn't hear the rest of the conversation between Draco and his mother, and felt a considerable amount of surprise when she suddenly opened the door and they came face to face.

Narcissa Malfoy was quite a pretty woman, and would have been even more so, had it not been for the dark circles under her eyes, as if she had not slept in five of six days. Her eyes were the same sharp silver as her son's, and they seemed to pierce her outer shell with just as much power and ease. She said nothing, however, and continued past her, as if she had more important things to do.

"You can come in, Mudblood." Draco drawled.

Hermione entered the room and closed the door behind her. Draco wasted no time in explaining. "Madam Pomfrey is out so we don't need to worry about her hearing us. I healed in five seconds, but my mother insists I stay in here until tomorrow."

"What did you want?" she asked.

"I need you to follow these instructions I am about to give you flawlessly. And don't let Potter know you're doing it." He turned his silver eyes over to the window where the empty Quidditch field was visible, and continued. "The day before the October Hogsmead trip, I'll give you a package. Don't open it. In the Three Broomsticks, a girl wearing a blue cloak will be sitting in the corner. Do what she says, and then you can go back to the Weasel and Wonder boy."

A package? What would be so important about this that she had to do it at Hogsmead? "What will be inside it?" she asked.

"None of your business. Remember our deal, Mudblood."

"Stop calling me that."

"Why should I, Mudblood?"

Hermione turned on her heal and left, slamming the Hospital Wing door closed as she went. Ranting and raving abuse in her head as she walked angrily back to the Great Hall to get Harry and Ron, she didn't notice the form of Severus Snape watching her leave from a corner in the hallway.

"Insufferable," she muttered through clenched teeth. "Completely and utterly insufferable. I don't understand how anyone could bear his presence." She remembered his aubsurd order the day before, and her face grew hot.

It was not the first time she had been called a Mudblood by Malfoy, but lately his insults had annoyed her more and more. The silly thing about it was that she didn't know why. Reaching the entrance to the Great Hall, she heard a very loud giggle from the Gryffindor table, and looked up from her feet to see Lavender Brown whispering something in Ron's ear, a big grin across his face.

Without another word, she turned around and left.


	9. Silver and Opals

**How many times must I say it? I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!!!**

**Enjoy this chapter! In case none of you have noticed yet, this story is virtually the exact things that would have happened had Hermione chose not to attend Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts. I hope every one of you likes this chapter, 'cause this is where it really starts to define "Alternate Reality"....**

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Silver and Opals

It was sometime at the beginning of the month that Harry pointed out Dumbledore had been absent from mealtimes quite often in the last few weeks. Hermione thought that he was leaving the school for days at a time, but they still didn't know _why_.

Ever since the Hospital Wing encounter, Hermione had not even looked in Malfoy's direction, although she could tell he was always staring at her. With Dumbledore gone, she had no chance to tell him about the suspicious instructions from the now-youngest Death Eater ever.

The Headmaster still had not returned the day before the Hogsmead trip. At breakfast time, with the morning post, Malfoy's owl arrived at last.

_The package is behind the portrait of the two gentlemen playing Gin on the fourth floor. Look out for Peeves. Don't open it._

_Draco_

"More letters from your mum?" asked Harry as she stowed the parchment in her robes.

"Err, yes." She said. "My dad isn't feeling too well at the moment, so she has to write for him."

"I hope it's not too bad,"

"No, he should be fine in about a week or so…"

"…Hermione?"

"Hm?"

"You are coming to Hogsmead with us tomorrow, right?"

Hermione blinked. "Of course. What made you think I wasn't?"

Harry took a quick swig of pumpkin juice. "You just seemed sort of…distanced in the last few weeks of so. Especially with Ron."

She went pink in the face and pulled a book out of her bag, remembering the day of the Keeper trials. "Have I?"

Harry said no more, and decided not to mention the fact that her book was upside down. He glanced at Ron, who was sitting across from Lavender. He hadn't told him or Hermione, of course, but he had seen their little scene at the Quidditch pitch. He shook his head, wondering how confused Hermione must be by this point.

After the day's classes had ended, Hermione broke free of her group to find the portrait of the two gentlemen. On finding it, she made sure the corridor was deserted before pulling it off the wall.

The men in the painting grumbled as their cards fell off the table, but Hermione was much to busy to notice. There was a small, horizontal slot in the wall, and a tiny beige package was inside it. She used her fingernails to dig it out, and then put the painting back on the wall.

"Good riddance!" the fatter of the two men screamed at her as she walked away. Hurrying back to the common room, she said the password and was admitted entrance. With nothing left to do, and feeling extremely nervous at her current task, she went straight to bed.

* * *

In the morning, she waken – to her great annoyance – by Lavender. "Hermione, Harry and Ronald are looking for you!" she said, clear dislike in her voice, particularly at the mention of "Looking" and "Ron."

She was informed that they were in the Great Hall, and she went down to meet them, the beige package safely stowed in her pocket.

"…and then there was another flash of light and I landed on the bed again!" explained Ron excitedly. Apparently Harry had preformed a nonverbal spell that had woken him up in an unorthodox way.

"Was this spell, by any chance, another one from that potion book of yours?" she asked distastefully.

Harry frowned at her. "Always jump to the worst conclusion, don't you?"

"Was it?"

"Well…yeah, it was, but so what?"

"So you just decided to try out an unknown, handwritten incantation and see what would happen?"

After a long, rather heated argument about the Half-Blood Prince, the tension was broken by Ginny, who had appeared for breakfast at that moment.

When they reached the oak doors, Hermione's heart sank as she saw Filch with a Secrecy Sensor. How would she get past this? She didn't know what was in the package, but she didn't think they were sweets.

"What does it matter if we're smuggling dark stuff OUT?" demanded Ron when Hermione's turn came, the Sensor stopping inches from her pocket. She held her breath. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back IN?"

Filch stepped away from Hermione and started scanning Ron, determined to find something hidden. By the time he finished with Ron, he had forgotten about Hermione, and moved on to the next student standing in line.

Was that fate? Or just sheer-dumb luck? Whatever it was, she took it.

The walk was cold, windy, and quite miserable. Harry and Ron found great loss when they saw the boarded up Zonko's Joke Shop, but all three were very glad to see that Honeydukes was mercifully open. The three walked inside.

"Harry, m'boy!"

"Oh no," muttered Harry. They turned around to see Professor Slughorn, who was wearing an enormous fluffy hat an overcoat with a matching fur collar, clutching a large bag of crystallized pineapple.

As Slughorn started talking about how they really needed to start coming to Slug Club, Hermione started to slip away. Once safely away from their vision, she sprinted down the street so fast, other students were staring at her.

She entered the Three Broomsticks and immediately spotted the woman in blue cloak, sitting in the corner. Harry and Ron would have noticed that she was gone by now.

She couldn't see the woman's face, because she had the hood up. She sat in the chair across from her. They sat in silence for a while. Then, the woman raised a hand, and snapped. Two Butterbeers appeared.

"Thanks," Hermione mumbled. The woman didn't respond.

After a few awkward minutes of silence, she heard a hushed voice. "You are to go into the restroom and place the package on the nearest sink. Leave it, and then walk outside."

Hermione nodded, wondering why this voice sounded so familiar…

After a minute, she stood and walked over to the restroom. It was deserted. Wondering what on earth was going to happen, she took the package out of her pockets and placed it on the edge of a sink.

Hermione left the room, and noticed once she was outside in the bitter wind once more, that the cloaked woman had stood and entered the restroom, following…

Katie Bell.

"There you are, Hermione!" Ron said. "Me and Harry went ballistic when we turned around and you were gone! Where did you go?"

"I needed a new quill," she said. "I thought I'd go ahead. What's wrong with Harry?"

He was standing with clenched fists and jaw, glaring at everyone who dared look at him.

"Oh, that." muttered Ron. "We ran into Mundungus. Dung's been nicking the stuff out of Sirius's house and selling it."

"Can we go back now, please?" Harry growled. "I'm not in the mood."

They walked back in the direction of the school just as Katie Bell and her friend walked out of the Three Broomsticks. Hermione glanced at them nervously, then with a jolt, realized that Katie was holding the beige package.

"It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" Katie said.

Then she saw it: the distinct glimmer of opals. Without pausing to think, Hermione threw herself forward, just as Leanne made a grab for the package.

_"Don't!" _she shrieked, and her skin brushed the cursed necklace that she had recognized from following Malfoy into Borgin and Burkes.

The necklace hit the cold hard ground at the exact moment Hermione rose into the air.

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**Shocked? Please review! I love all my reviewers!**

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	10. The Dark Lord’s Plan

**I don't own Harry Potter, but I can still wish....**

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The Dark Lord's Plan

A burning sensation ripped through her body as if she was being stabbed by white-hot daggers. Excruciating pain. Short gasps of air. Dull, distanced shouts.

Hermione could see everything below her. Harry and Ron's shocked faces. Katie Bell and her friend, staring up at her as if not sure what to do. It hurt so much that she opened her mouth to scream, but made no sound. And far off in the distance, back in the village, she could see Draco Malfoy watching them, his usually calm face replaced with one of utmost horror.

Their eyes met, and Hermione crumpled to the ground.

She was in Hagrid's arms, being rushed back to the castle. She was in the Hospital Wing. She was being taken off the grounds by someone that she couldn't see. She felt a horrible, nauseating feeling pull back on her stomach when whoever it was apparated. The moment she reappeared, her vision swam with black, and she fainted, succumbing to the pain.

* * *

"What do you mean, 'She's gone'?!" Harry bellowed.

Dumbledore looked very grave. "Shall I say it once more, Harry?" he asked. "When waiting for the Healers from St. Mungo's to come and fetch Miss Granger, it appears that she _dis_appeared when Madam Pomfrey was gathering potions."

"How could she just disappear?" asked Harry, and Ron angrily nodded. "She was is no state to talk to us or move, much less get up and walk away!"

"All the teacher's are currently searching the grounds for her. We can assume that the necklace you told me about, Harry, is more dangerous than you realized. I fear that not finding Miss Granger soon might prove deadly."

"I know that!" yelled Harry. "I saw how she rose up into the air! It was like she was screaming, but she wasn't making a sound!"

"Harry," said Dumbledore, "I must ask you to remain calm. I know that this has upset you greatly, but at the moment, perhaps you'd better look for her too. You as well, Ronald. I can't believe that she has completely disappeared. She must be here somewhere."

Without another word, Harry and Ron dashed out of the office and down a corridor.

"I don't get it, mate." Rom murmured. "Where could she be? And how did Katie manage to get hold of something that dangerous?"

"Didn't you hear Madam Pomfrey when we ran into the Hospital wing?" asked Harry. "She said that Katie was under the Imperius Curse. Maybe she was taking that necklace to someone else."

"But who? And how did Hermione know it was dangerous? You know, if Katie's friend had grabbed that necklace, then it could have been one of them."

Harry nodded once. Then something dawned on him. "She _was _acting rather odd in the last few weeks. Always looking over her shoulder, glancing around corners, sighing rather loudly."

"What about it?" asked Ron.

"I'm not sure." said Harry. "But I have a horrible feeling that that's got something to do with it."

By the end of the day, the news had spread throughout the entire school. Hermione Granger, in an attempt to save someone from being hurt, accidentally got hurt herself, and shortly afterward disappeared from Hogwarts without a trace.

None of them knew that she was not the only student to leave the grounds that day.

* * *

"What's going on?" Narcissa Malfoy asked her son angrily. "Why did you bring her here? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I'll take full responsibility for my actions." Draco said coolly. "It's true that it didn't go as I planned, but I have more use for her. She could prove a great asset in my task."

"Is this filthy little Mudblood the one you have helping you, then?" she asked. "Draco! Think of the Dark Lord-"

"I know very well what he would think!" he snapped. "Just go get the potion! She touched that cursed necklace, she might only have so long…"

"Draco-"

_"I know!"_ he bellowed. Narcissa stared at him, eyes wide. "I know. Just…please, mother."

Narcissa's eyes swam with tears. Her thin lips were pressed together so hard that they were almost white. Finally, she spoke. "Fine."

She turned and left the drawing room of her home. What had Draco done? How could he worry her like this? She opened the door to their storage room where there were many different potions for different sicknesses. She grabbed one in a purple vile and reentered the drawing room.

Draco was leaning over the motionless body of the Mudblood. When he had first arrived, she had been shaking like mad. Now she wasn't moving at all. He noticed his mother, and held out his hand. She handed him the vile, and he held it to the girl's lips, tipping it so it poured down her throat.

Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at her, muttering something under his breath. A blue light filled the room. Once it subsided, he muttered another spell, and the room glowed with a soft yellow gleam.

Narcissa watched him, eyes narrow. She opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly something happened.

Both she and Draco gasped in pain, and grabbed their left arm. "He's coming," Narcissa whispered in a frightened voice. "He's coming _here._ Why is he coming now?"

There was a knock at the door. Their heads swung to the direction of the sound. Draco stood, fear quite apparent on his face. He took a hesitant step forward.

"No," Narcissa whispered. "I'll answer it. Stay here."

She reached the door and slowly turned the handle.

"Good evening, Cissy. Might we come in?" asked Bellatrix.

Narcissa nodded at her sister, her eyes fixed on the one standing behind her. Bellatrix pushed her way past the doorframe, and the one behind her entered. She closed the door behind them.

"Where's my nephew?" asked Bellatrix. "The Dark Lord whishes to speak to him.

She gasped. How did they…?

"I felt him come here," said the man in a high, cold voice. "I need to know why."

"R-right in the drawing room," she whispered.

Lord Voldemort walked past his Death Eaters and into the room indicated, his eyes fixed on the teenager. Draco had kneeled beside the frozen form of the girl again, and looked up when he entered the room.

"So," the Dark Lord whispered, "You came running home because of a Mudblood?"

Before he could blink, there was a blinding flash of white as Draco was slammed into the wall, the force of the spell making him gasp.

"You think that this muck is more important than the task I have given you, Draco?"

Another flash of light, this time he hit the ceiling. Narcissa shrieked, but didn't move out of fear.

"N-no," Draco gasped, clutching his side, having landed on his knees. "L-let me…explain…"

"I suppose you care what happens to this Mudblood, do you not?" he continued, turning his wand on the girl. Draco's eyes widened.

"She was…helping me get it done!" he said. "It won't be so long now! I swear it!"

"Why don't I just kill her now so you will be less distracted?" he asked. "Less filth will be a good thing in this world."

"She's Potter's friend!" he blurted out, not knowing what else to say. "And I have her in my control! I thought we would benefit from having her on our side!"

True surprise crossed Voldemort's face. "Potter's friend?" He turned his slit-like eyes to the girl. Then after a moment, he smiled. "I see what you were thinking. I suppose you have another plan?"

Draco nodded. His lip started bleeding from hitting the wall.

"Then, we shall, as the saying goes, slay two Hippogriffs with one killing curse. But you must need something, otherwise you wouldn't have come here."

"She," Draco looked to the floor. "She touched the cursed necklace I was using. I've given her the potion and the correct spells, but it's not enough."

The Dark Lord chuckled lightly. "I can keep her alive, if you do something for me." Without waiting for a promise, he bent over and whispered into Hermione's ear, "Welcome to my service, friend of Harry Potter. I daresay you'll be the death of him."

* * *

**Sorry it was a little boring...(Or at least I thought so.)**

**Please review, and look forward to the next chapter! **

* * *


	11. Felix Felicis

**I do not own Harry Potter, as I'm sure I made QUITE clear by now...**

* * *

Felix Felicis

On October 31st, Hermione mysteriously appeared back in the Hospital Wing, cured of the curse that had rendered her unconscious for almost three weeks since the Hogsmead trip. Once she woke up, it was apparent to Harry, Ron, and the rest of the school that she remembered absolutely nothing since the day before the trip.

No one knew where she had gone or what had happened, and Madam Pomfrey was quite curious as to how she escaped from such a high-level curse alive. Indeed, as the Healer told her, even if she couldn't remember, she was insanely lucky that her fingers bust brushed the necklace. If she had grabbed it full on, she would have died instantly.

Something was nagging at the back of her mind, something she couldn't quite see. She had flashes, glimpses of what looked like a cave surrounded by black, swirling water…

* * *

"You really don't remember anything at all?" asked Ron wearily.

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing."

"I don't understand," whispered Harry. "How could you have just vanished and then come back after three weeks with absolutely no idea of what happened? It's almost as if someone cast a memory charm on you."

"Who would do that?" asked Hermione, rolling her eyes. "I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it can't have been that serious."

Harry and Ron said nothing, averting her gaze. They had both agreed that she would never get out of their sight again. Those three weeks had been so terrifying, so agonizing for them. It had been the most serious matter they had ever faced.

As they entered November, the school finally settled down. Harry received another note from Dumbledore, requesting a second meeting. Once he returned that evening, he told them of the "homework" that had been given him.

While Harry and Ron discussed how he would do this, Hermione sat rubbing her temples, eyes closed, trying to get the image of a great, black lake out of her mind.

* * *

"So, Hermione,"

She looked up from her essay. Cormac gave her a huge grin.

"Professor Slughorn is holding a Christmas party this Sunday, and since you were provably so devastated that you missed the last one where you could have gone with me, I thought you could come to this one."

She blinked. Having missed three weeks of homework, she had gone to the library during lunch to catch up. She had been absorbed in her Charms essay, when here came Mclaggen, asking for a date. Oh no.

"Err, Cormac," she said hesitantly, "I might not be able to go, I'll be catching up on homework and such-"

"You don't need to be so modest!" he chuckled. "Just let me know when you're feeling the urge to go with me." He winked and strode out of the library.

She was just beginning to think what a prat he was when a roll of parchment landed in her lap. She looked over her shoulder to see Draco walking in the opposite direction, back to her. He stopped at a shelf and started looking through the books.

Hermione unrolled the parchment immediately.

_Granger,_

_We'll start in the RoR again next week. The books are still there. Come after lunch._

_Draco_

* * *

The day of the Gryffindor, Slytherin Quidditch match came. Having been so preoccupied with homework, she had no time to help encourage Harry and Ron whatsoever, but she was not wholly surprised when the former had told her that Ron hadn't been doing the…best job.

She came down to breakfast to see Harry handing him a cup, saying, "There you go, Ron. Drink up." A small flash of gold met her eyes as Harry hastily hid something into his hand. The horrible truth dawned on her.

"Don't drink that, Ron!" she said sharply, stopping the cup an inch from his lips.

"Why not?" he asked.

"You just put something in that drink," she said, rounding on Harry.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"You heard me. I saw you. You just tipped something into Ron's drink. You've got the bottle in your hand right now!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Harry, slipping something into his robes.

"Ron, I warn you, don't drink it!" she said, alarmed, but he put the cup to his mouth and drained it in one gulp.

"Stop bossing me around, Hermione." said Ron.

Furious, she bent next to Harry's ear, and whispered, "You should be expelled for that. I'd never have believed it of you, Harry!"

"Hark who's talking," he whispered back. "Stolen any potions lately?"

She straightened out and walked away from them, absolutely burning. Came time for the Quidditch match, she sat sulking in the stands next to Ginny and Luna, who were cheering loudly (Luna's lion-hat roaring, more than cheering, but all the same.) She watched in distaste whenever Ron would save a goal. She hardly noticed that Malfoy was not in the air. The moment Harry's tremendous "YES!" was heard, she stood and started back down the spiral steps, heading straight for the dressing rooms. Her hands were twisting her Gryffindor scarf in an effort to stay calm, and she approached Harry, who was talking excitedly to Ron.

"I want a word with you, Harry," she said, and took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, its illegal."

"What are you going to do, turn us in?" demanded Ron, who had obviously caught on by that point.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Harry, hanging up his Quidditch robes.

"You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" said Hermione shrilly. "You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"

"No, I didn't," he replied calmly.

"Yes you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right and Ron saved everything!"

A grin spread across his face, and she knew something was wrong. "I didn't put it in! I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." He held out the sealed bottle to Hermione and then turned to Ron, still grinning. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself."

Ron stared at the sealed bottle for a moment, watching the gold liquid slosh around, then rounded on Hermione. _"You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything! _See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"

The regret instantly filled her, and she said, "I never said you couldn't – Ron, _you_ thought you'd been given it too!"

But he had pushed past her and out of the dressing room, broomstick over his shoulder.

"Er," said Harry, filling the sudden silence, "shall…shall we go up to the party, then?"

"You go!" she shrieked. "I'm _sick_ of Ron at the moment, I don't know what I'm supposed to have done…" She blinked back the tears that threatened to overtake her, and stormed out of the room, boiling in humiliation.

How could he treat her this way? She had been trying to help him! He was worse than Malfoy…

Feeling ashamed, she stalked up to the common room, deciding that she would go straight to her dormitory. "Dilligrout," she muttered (the password had changed when she was missing,) and the portrait hold opened. She climbed inside, and was just about to stalk up the stairs when she froze.

A horrid, sinking feeling entered her stomach as she saw Ron and Lavender. Unable to move, she stared at them for a full three minutes, before coming to her senses and exiting the room. Her legs were taking her in the wrong direction. She found herself in the corridor, and not long after that in an empty classroom.

Her mind was blank. She pointed her wand in the air above her head and muttered, _"Avis,"_ A small flock of yellow birds appeared over her head just when Harry walked into the room. "Oh, hello, Harry," she said in a high, unnatural voice. "I was just practicing."

"Yeah, they're – er – really good…" he said awkwardly.

"Ron seems to be enjoying the celebrations." She said in the same, high voice.

"Er…does he?"

"Don't pretend you didn't see him," she said, feeling her anger starting to boil back. "He wasn't exactly hiding it, was – ?"

The door opened, and Ron came in, puling Lavender by the hand. She stared at him. "Oh," he said, stopping when he saw them.

"Oops!" giggled Lavender, and she backed out of the room.

"Hi Harry!" said Ron after a moment of cold silence. "Wondered where you'd got to!"

She wasn't staying here. She slid off the desk she was sitting on, and headed to the door. The birds followed her. "You shouldn't leave Lavender waiting outside," she said quietly. Suddenly she pointed her wand at him, and shrieked, _"Oppugno!"_ She didn't watch as her flock attacked him, but flung herself at the door, feeling the tears rush past her eyes as she slammed the door with a sob.

She shot past Lavender and down the corridor as fast as she could, not knowing where her feet were taking her. She was beginning to realize how ridiculous she was being when she rounded the corner and…

_BAM!_

She flew back, landing in crab-walk position, feeling the burning in her hands.

"Granger?"

She looked up. Malfoy was standing before her, a book in his hands, looking as if he had never seen her before. All her anger melted, and she felt pure sorrow. Not in control of her own actions, she jumped to her feet and flung her arms around the Slytherin's neck, letting herself sob.

Draco dropped his book in surprise, not knowing quite what to do. What was going on? "G-Granger!" he muttered, "Get off! You're-"

Her grip tightened. He fell silent. She started shaking.

After a few minutes, Draco whispered, "I'm sorry." He never told her that he was sorry for a completely different reason. He was sorry for everything.

* * *

**Please review! I hope you liked it. Seriously, I really do hope so. **


	12. The Annoyance Of Ronald Weasley

**I do not own Harry Potter, sadly. Yes, mt life is a sad tale, indeed.**

* * *

The Annoyance Of Ronald Weasley

It had started snowing as November turned to December and Slughorn's Christmas party drew nearer. Hermione had not spoken a word to Ron since the Quidditch match, and she didn't intend to. Harry was desperately trying to get them to make up, but she would firmly refuse. Still waiting for the start of a new week, she wondered if "starting" in the Room of Requirement, as Draco called it, would lead to improvement, or another disaster.

Once all her homework had been caught up on, she had not much else to do but study for the exams that would take place before the holidays. With her head swimming from too much work (even for her,) and the still black knowledge that something sinister was taking place, she really needed a breather.

She was just washing her hands in the loo when a group of very noisy fourth-years came inside. She didn't pay much attention to them until whispers of "Harry Potter" and "Love Potion" caught her ears. Being the rule-abiding Prefect that she was, she instantly checked to make sure they didn't have any with them.

"Anyway, how should we do it?" whispered an excited Romilda Vane.

"We could catch him under some mistletoe and give it to him _mouth to mouth!_"

"That would be disgusting, Penny! Why don't we slip it into some Butterbeer and offer him a drink?"

Hermione left, making a mental note to tell Harry to watch his back. Later in the library, she let him know, and although he was disgruntled with the knowledge that he was expecting an ambush, she told him that if he would just invite someone to Slughorn's party then they would most likely leave him alone.

It was after lunch a day before the Christmas party when Cormac found her yet again. Ron and Harry hadn't gotten up yet (even if it was Saturday, this was way late) so she was by herself at the Gryffindor table, nibbling on lamb chops.

"Hello, Cormac." she said dully. He flashed her a brilliant smile.

"So have you thought about Slughorn's Christmas party?" he asked.

She sighed. "Look, Cormac," she said, "I'm not really in the mood to…" she drifted off mid-sentence, her face pulled into one of utmost concentration. "Cormac?" she asked, her head looked up to him.

He flashed another smile. "Yes?"

The gears in her brain were whirling. She glanced at the Slytherin table to see Draco staring back at her. They held their gaze for a split second before she looked away. If this didn't annoy Ronald Weasley, nothing would. "Is that invitation still open?"

* * *

"Oh, hi, Hermione!" said Parvati, beaming at her.

"Hi Parvati!" she said, just as brightly, beaming herself. She was ignoring Ron, who looked like he was having a wrestling match with Lavender, a very uncomfortable-looking Harry beside them. "Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"

"No invite," she said gloomily. "You're going, aren't you?"

She beamed – if possible – even brighter. "Yes, I'm meeting Cormac at eight, and we're–"

There was a noise of a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink and Ron surfaced. She ignored him.

"– we're going up to the party together."

"Cormac? Cormac Mclaggen, you mean?

"That's right." She replied cheerily. "The one who _almost _became Gryffindor Keeper."

"Are you going out with him, then?" asked Parvati, wide-eyed.

"Oh – yes – didn't you know?" asked Hermione with a giggle quite unlike herself.

"No! Wow, you like your Quidditch players, don't you? First Krum, then Mclaggen…"

"I like _really good _Quidditch players." She corrected her with a grin. "Well, see you…Got to go and get ready for the party…"

She stood and exited the Great Hall, smiling smugly. Halfway up a staircase to the Gryffindor common room, her foot suddenly sank into the step. Her smile vanished. She had forgotten about the trick step. She yanked upward, only to feel her foot sink a few inches. Great.

"Nice, Granger. I bet you never expected to hear the word 'karma' after your little performance just then."

She turned her head to the base of the steps, not wholly surprised to see Malfoy, arms crossed, eyebrow raised, a smirk on his face. "What do you want?" she asked warily. She was thinking about her sudden outburst a few days before, and tried not to show it on her face.

"Just thought I'd come to torment you." He shrugged nonchalantly, unfolding his arms and walking up to her.

"Well you're doing an excellent job," she hissed. He sat down on the step above her stuck foot. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Aren't you going to help me?"

He looked at her, both eyebrows traveling up his forehead in mock-surprise. "Of course not! Didn't I just say I was going to torment you?"

"Of course," she mumbled, rolling her eyes, "I should have known."

"So are you enjoying your day?"

"Indeed," she hissed. "Look, I know that as much fun that this is for you, I rather wish that I wasn't here. So I would appreciate it if you would help me got out of this thing."

He chuckled and stood. "You'll have to endure my presence for a little longer, then." She rolled her eyes and held out her arms.

"Let's just get this over with."

He reached around her back, still chuckling, and pulled her up. She didn't come out of the step, but her foot did rise an inch or so. He lifted her higher, and then it happened.

In a moment of unbalance, both his feet slipped off where he was standing and landed…inside the trick step. Figures.

It took both Draco and Hermione about ten full seconds to realize what had happened, and that their arms were still around each other before they separated as best they could.

"Sorry," Draco mumbled.

"No, no, it's not your fault." she said. They lapsed into silence.

"…Well, this is an unpleasant situation." drawled Draco.

"I bet you didn't expect to hear the word 'karma' today, did you?" asked Hermione, trying to hide her smile. Before he could reply, she felt a pain in the back of her head, as if she had hit it on something very hard, and closed her eyes, biting her lip so she wouldn't scream out.

"Granger?"

She could barely hear him. Her thoughts weren't on their predicament. They weren't on Ron, or his betrayal, they weren't on Cormac or the horrid date she was sure to go on with him later.

No, for some reason, her mind was swirling with images of a great, black lake…

* * *

_A cave was before her. It was huge, and the interior was dark as night. She heard a noise. Scared, she whipped her wand out of her pocket, only to have it slip from her trembling fingers and away from her. She backed up against the wall of the cave. A pair of red eyes appeared before her. She shrieked, and ran as fast as she could away from them._

_Where were Harry and Ron? Dumbledore? Luna, Neville, and Ginny?_

_She ran blindly for as long as she could. She stopped, panting. After catching her breath, she looked up to see a huge, black lake before her. She could see a tiny light ahead in the water, and realized it was wand light. She saw the faces of Harry, Ginny, and Luna._

_She opened her mouth to call out to them, when a high, cold voice said calmly behind her, "Crucio!"_

_She screamed as the pain overcame her. She was on the rocky floor of the cave, withering and twisting in agony. She could hear the shouts of the three before her, calling her name, but only one voice was heard._

_It was like the one that had cursed her, high, cold, and unfeeling. It whispered in her ear, "I fail to see how you can be of use to me anymore."_

_Another spell hit her in the back with just enough force to push her off the rock and plunge into the deep, black water._

_She watched in horror as cold, dead white hands reached up to her, grabbing her robes and pulling her slowly deeper into the water where she would die._

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes, screaming.

* * *

**REVIEW! ****REVIEW****REVIEW****REVIEW**!!! **Thank you!**

* * *


	13. A Dark and Dangerous Magic part I

**I still don't own Harry Potter. Surprising, is it not?**

* * *

A Dark and Dangerous Magic part I

"No!"

"Granger!"

"Stop!"

"Granger!"

_"Please!"_

_"Granger!"_

Even though her eyes had opened, the images did not disappear.

Somehow Malfoy had managed to free himself from the trick step, and her as well. From where she was, Hermione guessed that she had fallen down the steps and landed in a heap at the bottom, kicking and screaming the whole time. Almost as if she had been thrashing completely out of control, Draco had pinned her against the stone of the floor, his eyes wide with apparent horror.

_"No! Stop, please!" _she screamed. She was living in a nightmare. She started to struggle against him, trying to get free with all her might.

"Granger, snap out of it!" yelled Malfoy, trying to restrain her.

After almost five minutes, the images slowly evaporated as Hermione calmed down. They were both breathing hard, completely and utterly unaware that someone was standing about five feet away, staring at them.

"Are you okay, now?" murmured Draco. Hermione nodded.

"What…what happened?"

"I don't know," said Draco, not wholly truthful, "You suddenly started screaming as if you were going to die and thrashing around like an eel. Is that normal for you?"

She opened her mouth to respond, when a loud _click_ and a bright flash interrupted them. They both looked right, only to see a very flabbergasted-looking Colin Creevey, holding his camera in awe.

"What happened _here?!"_ he squeaked in excitement. "Hi, Hermione!"

In less than a second, Draco and Hermione were ten feet apart, both on their feet, eyes wide with shock.

"Colin, what are you doing here?" asked Hermione in a rushed voice.

"I was just going up to the common room to develop some photos, and Harry told me that if I hurried, I could catch you!"

"Colin, you didn't…take a picture just then, did you?" she asked, worried, glancing at Draco.

"I took one or two, but I'll show them to you after I develop them, I'm sure you'll like it, It was actually quite good-"

_"Confringo!" _Draco and Hermione said at the same time, their wands pointed at Colin's camera. It burst into flame, and Colin shrieked, dropping it on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Colin, but you have no idea how much that would inconvenience both of us if you showed that to anyone." said Hermione. "I'd better go, excuse me…"

She ran up the staircase once more, being extra careful to skip the trip step and continued up to the common room. Her face was burning. Her head was spinning in confusion. What was that? What were those images? What were those dead hands that seemed to drag her down?

She shuddered. After the portrait hole opened, she went straight up to her dormitory, throwing all thought of what had just happened out of her mind.

"And so, there I was, all three chasers hurtling towards me. I had no idea which one had the Quaffle, but my _gut instinct _told me to dive for the middle goal hoop, and I blocked their throw single-handedly!" accounted Cormac with relish. "And that is save number thirty-three. Amazing, aren't I? Look, its mistletoe-"

However, Hermione was already making her way through the crowd, away from him. Pushing herself through a row of shady-looking men in midnight blue robes, she found herself face to face with Harry and Luna.

"Harry! There you are, thank goodness! Hi, Luna!"

"What's happened to you?" he asked.

"Oh, I've just escaped – I mean, I've just left Cormac. Under the mistletoe,"

"Serves you right for coming with him," he told her severely.

"I thought he'd annoy Ron most," she said. "I'm starting to whish I'd never come at all, I've been treated to 'A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac Mclaggen' nonstop ever since – oh no, here he comes!"

She zipped through a line of people, fighting her way to the door. She would just leave, there was no way she was going to listen to 'Great Save Number thirty-four'…

She emerged from Slughorn's office, panting, bent over with her hands on her knees. After her breath had been returned to her, she straightened out and started heading to the Kitchens, thinking she would visit Dobby and Winkey.

Filch appeared at the end of the corridor, ignoring the very loud complaints of whoever was next to him. As they drew closer, Hermione realized that it was Malfoy.

"You!" Filch sneered. "You attending the Professor's party?"

"Yes," she replied, looking at Draco.

"Then you might know if he is," spat Filch, gesturing to Malfoy. "I found him lurking in an upstairs corridor, and he claims to be invited."

Malfoy opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione cut him off, "I'm a member of the Slug Club, and I invited him, so he's perfectly able to be out of his common room this late."

Filch looked disgruntled, looking from Hermione to Malfoy. Finally, he made a noise that sounded like, "Pah!" and stalked back down the corridor, Mrs. Norris at his heels.

"What on earth are you doing?" Hermione asked once Filch disappeared.

"I don't see how its any of your business." He replied coldly. "I was taking a stroll."

"It is my business!" she insisted. "If I'm forced to be your slave, then I might as well know what I'm doing!"

"Need I remind you of our agreement once more? You're not supposed to question what I tell you." Before she could respond, he pulled a bottle out of the inside of his robes. "Put this in Slughorn's potion cabinet. Do it without being seen or asking unnecessary questions."

Angered, Hermione grabbed the bottle and stomped back to the party. Without bothering to check that anyone was watching, she slipped the bottle into a wooden cabinet and exited again. She walked up to there Draco was waiting, and crossed her arms, glaring at him.

"Anything else, your Highness?" she asked sarcastically.

Draco shook his head, his expression slightly amused.

"Good." She started to walk away, but Draco grabbed her hand.

"Wait," he said. "There is actually something."

"What?" she asked wearily.

"I need you to stay at Hogwarts during the Holidays." He said. "We'll be going back into the 'Room' tomorrow, and I need you there."

"You want me to stay at Hogwarts?" she asked in true surprise. "Over _Christmas_?"

"Unless, of course, if you'd rather spend it in a cell at Azkaban…"

"Fine!" she hissed. "I just decided; I don't care anymore! I'll stay at Hogwarts over the break with the most annoying, disruptive ferret I've ever met!"

With a slight 'hmph!' she continued down the corridor, leaving him behind.

How could he be so utterly absurd? It was ridiculous. And his mood swings were really getting to her. One minute he's being kind to her, comforting her when she was crying, and the next he had gone into total jerk-o commander mode.

She reached her dormitory, fuming for a minute or two before deciding to go to bed.

_She was panting, racing as fast as she could through the trees. The sound of the hundreds of legs following her grew louder and louder as they drew closer._

_A branch scrapped across her face, and she felt the blood gushing down her face. Jet's of red and green light shot past her as she maneuvered through the trees, willing herself not to get hit. She only had a minute or two, at best. How could she possibly succeed?_

_The locked in her hand swung around wildly, and she had to grip it even tighter as to refrain from loosing it. Suddenly, she broke free of the trees. Taking a quick glance upward, she realized that the Castle was completely overcome with Death Eaters. She saw jets of light shooting past the windows, and as she looked even further up, she noticed the unmistakable sign._

_The Dark Mark hovered above the lightning-struck tower._

* * *

** Just to let you know, there is NO WAY I'll be able to do updates every single day once school starts. But I will update as often as I can! Please review. Tell me what you think, people! Thanks!**

**Panneler-san **

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	14. A Dark And Dangerous Magic part II

**I still don't own Harry Potter. Shocking, no?**

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A Dark And Dangerous Magic part II

"Hey, keep reading!" Draco yelled from behind a pile of junk.

"Sorry!" Hermione called, rubbing her eyes. "I just didn't sleep very well, last night."

"Well that's too bad, now continue!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the absurdity of her situation and continued the paragraph.

Harry and Ron had left early to go to the burrow, so she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to them (not that she cared, Ron considered.) In the early hours of the morning, she had gone to the owlery to send a note to her parents, informing them that she had to finish a few essays, and that the educational atmosphere would be better for her health. Then she had toddled off to the Room of Requirement, finding Draco waiting for her.

A few days had passed since the break began, and she did the same thing day after day. It was starting to get on her nerves.

In absence of the shelf with the glass orbs, he had moved huge piles of miscellaneous objects into some kind of a junk tower, to keep her from seeing what he was doing.

_"…Vanishing spells are not only the disappearance of objects by wand point, but the vanishing of whole beings. This new theory was created by Henry Wind, who proposed a new, fail-safe way to travel from one place to another. He stated that this form of traveling would be, 'Exactly like Flu powder, except you won't get that horrid, nasty feeling in the back of your stomach.'_

_Testing his hypothesis on his rather large amour, he cast a spell of his own invention on it, and his next door neighbor's. He crawled inside and to his great surprise, when the door opened again, he was inside his neighbor's home." _Hermione stopped reading. She looked up from the pages of the very heavy book and said thoughtfully, "I think Fred and George mentioned something about this a few years ago."

"Just keep reading."

Hermione looked back at the book, but didn't read anything. "Hey, Malfoy?" she said.

"What?"

"…You are being careful, right?" she asked.

"Shut up, Granger."

After hours on end sitting in the same position, Malfoy finally emerged from the pile of junk, stowing his wand in his robes.

"Let's take a break," he said. "I'm hungry."

They exited the room, but Hermione, who said she was not hungry, decided to go back to her common room. Draco said nothing, but went down to the Great Hall. She sighed, not quite knowing why, and started back down the hallway. The moment she turned the corner, it overcame her.

The vision was pressing, forcing its way into her head. She felt the dull pain spread over her body as she dropped to her knees, grasping her bushy hair in both hands. She tried to push it back, but the dark washed over her sight.

* * *

_"You are nothing." the voice sneered. "You have never been anything. You should have never even come to this world. Crucio!"_

_Her scream filled up the empty room, echoing out into the hallway. She hardly noticed when the pain ceased, leaving a tingling feeling pricking over her skin. She pushed herself up to her elbows, breathing heavily. She pointed her wand at the dark shape, her fingers trembling._

_"Impedimenta," she gasped, but the shape was not affected at all._

_"Look at you," said the voice, "You can't even cast a simple spell. This is why you are useless. Crucio!"_

_She fell back to the stone floor, screaming and shrieking in agony. When the sharp pain left once more, she could hardly move. _No, _she thought, _This wasn't how it was supposed to be._ It could not be true._

_As if he could read her mind, he said, "Oh, yes, Miss Granger, it is very true. You are all alone. Abandoned by your friends. Abandoned by your parents, and the supposed savior of this world. Abandoned by even your enemies. Why, you were even abandoned by the one you love most."_

_"Stop," she whispered, "Please, just stop it. End this,"_

_Lord Voldemort tilted his head to the side, looking at her curiously. "A Dark and Dangerous Magic, Miss Granger," he whispered. "And now, I will let you experience it. _Avada Kedavra_!"_

* * *

"Miss Granger, I take it that you have been properly doing the task I have given you?"

"Yes, Professor," mumbled Hermione, not meeting his eyes.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! And I am aware that you have decided to help Draco over the holidays, is that right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you discovered what it is he is doing in the Room of Requirement?"

"No, sir," said Hermione, "I have been trying to take a glance of whatever it is he's doing behind that rubbish, but he put shielding charms around it. And yesterday I tried to go inside when he wasn't there, but the door wouldn't open. He won't talk to me, either."

"A sad thing, indeed, that Draco refuses to open his heart to you." said Dumbledore. "Now, you mentioned some sort of bottle earlier, I trust?"

"Yes," she replied, "He told me to put it into Professor Slughorn's potion cabinet. It looked like a bottle of mead."

"I see. If he asks anything else of you that seems strange, please tell me before you do them, won't you?"

"I will."

"Wonderful!" he said again. "Now you may go. I'm sure that Draco has finished his lunch by now, and is waiting for your return."

Hermione stood to go, never meeting his eyes. She walked to the door and opened it. Just before she could close it, Dumbledore called out to her.

"Miss Granger?"

She turned, forcing herself to look into that gentle yet piercing calm of blue. "Yes?"

Dumbledore stared at her for a few seconds. Finally, he asked, "Is there anything you should with to tell me?"

Anything? There was a great many things. She wanted to tell him about her problems with Ron. She wanted to tell him that she was sick of the Room of Requirement, and that she was tired of reading about vanishing spells to someone behind a huge pile of garbage. She also wanted to tell him about the rapidly increasing delusions she was having. The delusions that seemed to haunt her every step, thought, and word. Whenever she would close her eyes, she would see cold, dead hands, a vast, black lake, a dark cave, a snakelike face, the swirling shadow of the Dark Mark, a flash of green light…

She swallowed. "No, Professor," she said. "There isn't anything."

She quietly shut the door and returned to the corridor above the dungeons. She didn't want to go back to that room. It was driving her insane. She had sat in the same position reading books out loud for three days. And the images were swirling stronger in her mind…

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

She closed her eyes. The voice that had spoken the words was still ringing in her ears. She remembered the words the voice had spoken.

_"You are nothing."_

"_Look at you. You can't even cast a simple spell. This is why you are useless."_

_" You are all alone. Why, you were even abandoned by the one you love most."_

_"A Dark and Dangerous Magic, Miss Granger,"_

She was apart of it. Whatever was happening to her, she was involved in more than one dark and dangerous magic.

"Dark," she whispered, "and Dangerous. What's happening to me?"

Suddenly, a bone chilling voice rose up out of the thin air and filled the corridor, loud enough so that anyone could understand, but only she could hear the whisper.

_"You are going to die,"_

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**Hi there! I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I SAID I wouldn't be able to do it everyday! Well, I decided to make this chapter superultraomega dramatic and good to make up for it. I hope you enjoyed it! Please tell me what you think! I'm gonna give a shoutout to the 100th reviewer in the next chapter, so please review!**

**One more thing: I would like to dedicate this chapter to my Aunt, who is currently in the Hospital. Get well soon, and know that I love you!**

**Panneler-san**


	15. A Dark And Dangerous Magic part III

**Elfsquire90 was my 100th reviewer! Thanks to all who reviewed. I've decided to put the authors note at the top this time, just so you can get more of the effect at the end of the chapter. So, I'll apologize now: I wasn't expecting it either. My fingers just typed it out. I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing, but please review and tell me what you think!**

**By the way, I don't own Harry and his wonderful magical world...**

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A Dark And Dangerous Magic part III

"_You are going to die,"_

Hermione whipped around, but no one was behind her.

_"You are going to die,"_

She backed up against the stone wall, breathing heavily. What was happening? She waited, but the voice did not come again. She felt the horrible sensation of cold hands gripping her arms and robes and closing tightly around her throat as if to pull her into the floor. She could see flashes of red and green and hear screaming all around her. It felt like….

Like she was dying.

"No!" she yelled, shaking her head side to side, eyes shut tightly. When she opened them again, the hallucinations disappeared and the sounds ceased. She brought her shaking hands to her face, covering her mouth. "What's happening to me?" she whispered.

Draco appeared at the end of the corridor holding a stack of papers. When he saw her, he carefully got closer, eyeing her suspiciously. "Granger?"

She slid down the wall, her hands still covering her face.

"Granger? What are you doing?" asked Draco.

Hermione looked up and their eyes met. Draco had a sharp intake of breath.

She was crying, and her eyes were wide and terrified. She looked like she had just seen something horrific.

"What the – Granger, what's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Malfoy," she whispered, "Help me. Please. I-I don't know what's going on. I k-keep hearing things. In m-my head. Seeing things. Voices telling me that I'm…"

She cut off, too horrified to continue. Draco dropped the papers in his hands as he realized what she was talking about. He dropped to his knees, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Granger!" he hissed, "Snap out of it! Look, no one is here, it's just you and me!"

She shook her head, staring into his eyes.

"Yes!" he said. "It's just me! You're safe."

She reached forward, throwing her arms around him. "I'm scared." she whispered. "I'm scared, Malfoy! What's wrong with me? Why is this happening to me?"

He let her cry into his shoulder. After several minutes, he whispered into her ear, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise."

At the end of the corridor, a tall blue-cloaked shape slid out of sight.

They were back in the Room of Requirement in ten minutes, but Draco was not behind the pile of rubbish and Hermione was not reading out of a book. In fact, they were sitting in some red velvet chairs that were squashed in a corner. Hermione was hugging her knees to her chest, still crying, while Draco stared at her.

"How long has this been happening?" he asked her.

"Since I went missing." she said. "I don't remember anything… Nothing makes sense."

He cringed. They fell silent.

"…It said I was going to die," whispered Hermione. Draco looked at her, eyes wide. Hermione continued. "I had a vision. In it Voldemort was torturing me, telling me I was useless and I had been abandoned by everyone. He said that I was apart of some Dark and Dangerous magic. Then once I came to I heard that same voice telling me that I was going to die. I believe it."

Draco looked like he very much wanted to stop her from talking, as if her words were giving him pain, but he couldn't say anything.

Hermione's head rose off her knees and she stared straight in front of her into the piles of junk. Her tears had stopped. "I'm starting to think that my disappearance has something to do with these hallucinations I'm having. It's too much of a coincidence. It's-"

"You honestly believe that?" Draco said, interrupting her. She turned her head to look at him, and almost recoiled backward when she saw the icy gleam in his silver eyes. "Think you're some kind of heroin, do you? Think that the Dark Lord's singled you out for some kind of purpose?"

"W-what…?"

"You think you're something special, don't you? Well I've got news for you, Mudblood. Don't flatter yourself. You're just the same as me. Trapped. So quit complaining and get used to it."

"How am I trapped?" she demanded, putting her feet on the floor. "I'm just as free as anyone else!"

"But you're not free, Mudblood," drawled Draco. "Want to know why? Because I have you under my control. I can do whatever I want to you at anytime I want, and you can't do a thing about it. I'm your master. I practically _own _you."

"You do not own me!" hissed Hermione. "I'm only following these cryptic orders you give me because of your stupid blackmailing method! I'm not a House elf!"

"You act like one!" he insisted. "But not that it matters; it's you Mudbloods and Gryffindors, you're all the same! Rambling on and on about courage and valor and tosh like that, when in reality, you have just as much courage as that spineless Potter."

"Don't you _dare _insult Harry!" shrieked Hermione, jumping to her feet, "Or anyone in Gryffindor house! Keep talking if you want to explain to everyone how you lost your right leg!"

"Are you threatening me now, Mudblood?" he asked. "I'll insult Potter as much as I want!"

"Stop calling me Mudblood!"

"And I'll insult that Weasel, too! Weren't you the one who came crying your soul out when he traded you off like an old carpet bag?"

_"Expelliarmus!"_ she screamed, suddenly pointing her wand at him.

Draco was blown backward off the chair, crashing into a pile of junk and making it crash over him. He whipped out his own wand, taking careful aim and yelling, _"Impedimenta!"_

Hermione dodged the jet of yellow light that shot past her, but was not so lucky the second time. This time she was the one blown back, and she thrust her wand in front of her, screeching, _"Petrificus Totalus!"_

But Draco had already moved out of her wand path, countering with a spell she couldn't hear. She was suddenly frozen, unable to move. She felt the slim piece of wood slip from her fingers, clattering to the floor. Draco stumbled over to her, breathing heavily and wiping a trickle of blood off his lip.

"You know, Granger," he snarled, "I never did like you much."

She could do nothing but watch as he glared at her. She tried desperately to move. She wanted her wand. She wanted to curse Draco Malfoy so he couldn't move again. She wanted to curse him into a million pieces. It was in this moment that she remembered why it was she hated him so much.

"And you always talking about Weasley didn't much lighten my opinion of you, either." he continued. "'Ron this,' and 'Ron that,' it got so annoying that I couldn't stand to be near you."

The effects of Malfoy's curse were starting to wear off. She could barely wiggle her fingers, and she could blink.

"I don't think you understand exactly what sort of unpleasant situation you are in," he said. "You don't get the fact that I can do anything I want. That I can order you to do anything I want. Right now, I'm going to give you a reminder. The first part is this: I'll call you a Mudblood whenever I feel like it."

Draco took a step forward. Hermione could feel the curse slowly loosening her arms. She felt like she might be able to move her legs in a second or two.

"And this," whispered Draco, "is to remind you that I own you,"

She didn't have any time to act or think before Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and crushed his lips against hers in – most likely – the most passionate kiss she would ever experience.

He forced her still-frozen lips to part, pushing and breaking past all her defenses. He pulled her closer to him, tightening one of his arms as the other made its way to the back of her head, holding it steady. The curse lifted entirely from her waist down, and he backed her into a wall. After what seemed like a minute, an hour, even possibly a few days or a whole lifetime, Draco pulled away.

The frozen gleam was still in his cold eyes, but he looked satisfied enough, as if he had gotten his point across. "Don't forget our agreement," he whispered, and he was suddenly gone.

The moment she heard the door to the school close shut, the curse broke entirely, and she slid down the wall in shock.

Remind her that he owned her, indeed.


	16. The Other Request

**I wish I owned Harry Potter, but I don't. SO STOP ASKING!**

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The Other Request

_She felt her feet slip from the rocky ledge. In a frantic attempt to balance herself, she became even more unstable than before. The cloudy sky flashed before her eyes as she fell backward._

_"Hermione!" yelled Harry as she hit the water. She was sinking. Slowly drifting deeper into the ocean. Then her head broke the surface of the water. She gasped in the air, frantically working her arms to stay afloat._

_Draco had been right. Play with fire, you get burned. Swim in water, you drown. Attempt to rebel against Voldemort and you would die._

_"You are going to die,"_

* * *

Hermione didn't go back to the Room of Requirement the next day. She tried to avoid anyone who might be roaming the halls, keeping mostly to the deserted library.

Whenever she would think of Draco her face would grow hot and she started muttering unintelligible things that would cause Madam Pince to glare at her.

No one in their right minds would be doing homework on a holiday, so she thought she was safe.

"Really, you're too predictable," Draco muttered in her ear, causing her to jump.

She almost screamed, but threw her hand over her mouth to stop any noise.

His eyebrow rose at her reaction. "Embarrassed, Granger?"

She put her hands on the table, pushing herself up into a standing position. Glaring at him, she grabbed her bag and whispered, "You whish,"

Draco – to her great annoyance – followed her out of the library. She tried to ignore him and walk on, but the sound of his footsteps was bothering her. Almost savagely, she turned sharply to face him, and found that he was so close behind her that they almost ran into the other.

"_What _do you _want?_" she hissed.

"Nothing," he replied nonchalantly.

"Then stop following me!"

"How rude," he sighed. "My common room is in this direction. There's no helping it."

"What are you scheming?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," he said again.

She growled and started walking in the opposite direction. Draco was once again trailing behind her. She decided to take a short cut to the common room, decided that he would stop following her then. But much to her dismay, she soon discovered that even the third-floor secret passage that led decidedly _away _from his destination was not enough to falter his steps.

She stopped, near the other end of the passage that was hidden behind a grey tapestry and confronted him once more. "What is your problem?" she demanded. "What in the name of Merlin's beard do you want?"

He shrugged. "I need you to come to Hogsmead with me," he said truthfully.

It took her ten seconds for the information in her brain to process. "What?" she asked flatly.

He shrugged again – that was going to get annoying soon – and said, "They organized a Hogsmead trip for those staying at Hogwarts on Christmas Eve. I need something from one of the shops, but only you can get it."

Her suspicion grew. "Only I can get it," she repeated. "How so?"

"You'll see when you get there," he said.

Growing weary of his cryptic-ness, she said, "And if I don't want to go?"

It happened so fast, she could hardly believe it happened at all. Suddenly she had been backed up against the wall, Draco's hand at her throat, his other hand pointing his wand right between her eyes. She noticed – with sudden fear – that he had been hiding this agitation ever since he saw her. The cold gleam in his eyes was like a bottomless pit that she was falling into. They were black, emotionless, yet filled with fury.

"Let me teach you a little lesson, Mudblood," he snarled, ignoring her struggle to breathe, "Play with fire, you get burned. Swim in water, you drown. Disobey my orders, and I'll do worse things than kiss you."

His hand slowly recoiled from her neck, and she gasped in air, eyes wide. He was being serious. She realized that beside the harsh mask he was wearing, there had been a note of fear in his voice. Desperation, even. Her eyes momentarily lingered on his left arm. Had he truly been branded with the Dark Mark? What was it about his little speech that struck her as odd? Almost as if she'd heard it before.

_"You are going to die,"_

The voice rose in her ears once again, and she quickly whipped around, only to see what looked like a flash of a blue cloak disappearing behind the turn in the passage. Draco had obviously not heard the menacing voice, as he exhaled quietly and left out of the tapestry-covered exit, thinking she was about to run away from him.

Hermione couldn't bring herself to call out to him. She was still frozen. Why? Why did the voice sound so…familiar to her?

As if to discover the answer, she racked through her memories, each time coming to a dark, blank spot. The time when she had vanished. Suddenly, the voice filled her head once more, and she expected the same, bone-chilling words. But to her surprise, something else was said. Something she thought she recognized…

_"Welcome to my service, friend of Harry Potter. I daresay you'll be the death of him."_

She could see it, the cold, dead hands, the black lake, the dark trees of the forest, the horrible shape of the dark mark, people screaming all around her, cries of death and anguish, wide, unblinking eyes of the dead, the face of the monster himself, the flash of green light, the terrible feeling of being alone.

She saw all of the hallucinations in one moment, felt the same pain, heard the same voice. Everything flashed before her eyes like a movie. Then it was all gone. But not everything.

The shape of a woman stood before her, her face hidden by the hood of her blue cloak. "You don't remember me," she whispered after a moment of stunned silence. "But I remember you."

Hermione could say nothing. Who…?

"You are the one helping Draco Malfoy," she continued. "I am the one who has been assigned to watch over him in his task. I was ordered to tell you that you that you are to go inside the shrieking shack on your next Hogsmead trip. I was also informed that if you knew who it was that called you, you would refuse to go. So, I have also been ordered to do this-"

Hermione finally found her voice. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The woman reached up to her hood, and pulled it away from her face, letting cascades of black curls tumble out. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and her skin was a ghostly pale. She carefully pulled out her wand at the exact moment Hermione realized just who it was she was staring at.

"You must understand," the woman continued, aiming her wand right at Hermione's head, "This is an order from the Dark Lord."

She had no time to scream, move, or ever blink. Before she could even realize what was about to happen to her, Bellatrix Lestrange screamed at the top of her lungs, _"Imperio!"_

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**For those of you who (hopefully do not) don't know what the curse Imperio does, please fel free to look it up.**

**Reviews are much appreciated! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out... I apologize!**

***Bows vigorously***

**panneler-san **


	17. The Unknowing Malfoy

**Yeah, I'm JK Rowling. KIDDING! Had you fooled there, didn't I? :)**

**So, yeah, I claim no ownage.**

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The Unknowing Malfoy

Draco didn't expect Hermione to be in the room the next day, nor the next, so he didn't even bother. He knew he should be there, finishing the task, but for some reason he just couldn't. Every time he would think about the consequence, his breathing would thin, his face would go pale, and his hands would shake.

Every night that passed he had slept less and less, having more nightmares than dreams. The black circles around his eyes grew darker, and he hardly even smirked anymore. It was just him, trying to keep his cool.

And Hermione Granger had completely destroyed it.

He had been at his limit that day. He was shocked when she didn't show, and was constantly looking for her. However, his owl seemed tired of bringing letters to her and had decided it wouldn't anymore. He never saw her in the corridors or at any meals. By the time it occurred to him to check the library, almost a whole week had passed.

In agitation, anger, shock, and fear he had rushed straight there. Later in the secret passage, he had tried to stay calm, but when she had brushed him off at his hidden desperate attempts to get her help, he had lost his temper.

However much he had scared her, he was positive that she would be in Hogsmead tomorrow, awaiting his instructions. Or at least he hoped so.

She was not at dinner the day before the trip, nor at breakfast the day of. Crabbe and Goyle Were waiting for him, though, flexing their muscles at some scared looking first years that were staring at them.

"Friends," Draco muttered when they grunted their usual greeting, "What a joke."

The three set out of the castle. Once they had been poked and prodded with Filch's dark detector, he let them go and they got into a carriage. Ahead of them, Draco saw a mass of frizzy brown hair disappear into another carriage. He fought the smile that threatened his lips. _About time,_

They rode for ten minutes or so before they came to a stop in front of Hogsmead and filed out. Draco nodded to Crabbe, who nodded to Goyle, who nodded back to Crabbe, who nodded back to Draco. Draco rolled his eyes and started walking forward as the two bodyguards departed into the village. He pulled his green and silver scarf tighter around his neck, shivering in the slight wind that blew past him.

He walked slowly past the carriage, ushering with his fingers behind his back for her to follow. A second later, he heard the sound of the door opening, and feet hitting the snow-covered ground. With a satisfied smirk painted across his face, he thought he finally managed to drill some obedience into that Mudblood.

_It was all black. She couldn't breathe._

_Why couldn't she see anything?_

_She was sure she was moving. What had happened? Where was she? Why…why couldn't she remember? No. No, she didn't want this. She wanted to breathe. She wanted to see._

_She wanted to live. She had to fight it. She had to. There was no other option. But…could she fight it? It was too dark. It was too strong. Great Merlin. What was wrong with her?_

Draco walked until he came behind one of the shops of the village, away from the preying eye. Then, he finally turned around. Hermione, in her hand-knitted hat and warm, winter robes slipped behind the building, too.

"Well?" she asked after a moment of silence. "What is this thing that only I can get?"

Draco glanced around to make sure no one was watching them before speaking. "It's a certain type of…err…herb that is sold at a peculiar place. At any rate, I certainly can't get inside. That's why you're here."

"Are you going to tell me or just be cryptic?" she snapped at him. "Where is it? What's inside? What do I need to say? How do I need to act? These are the types of bloody things you should be telling me!"

For half a second, Draco was shocked speechless. For one, terrible moment, he thought he saw a black glint in Hermione's eyes. And the way she had spoken was odd, too. She had sounded just like…

"It's called Karen and Berkley's. It's a shop that sells nothing but girl stuff. They don't even let men within half a mile of that front door." Draco said, shaking the thought from his mind. Hermione seemed to calm down and listen. "They have a yellow plant with a red flower the size of a bludger in the back. Pick three of the petals and then come back. Oh, you'll need to buy something so you don't look suspicious."

"What's so important about a flower?" she asked, annoyed. "Can't you just get it from Mrs. Sprout? But yeah, I know!" she snapped at Draco's attempt to reminded her of their deal once more, "No questions, I got it, I got it!"

Apparently angry, Hermione turned away from his and started in the direction of the shop. He watched her go, his eyes frosting over like the small white flakes beginning to drift from the sky.

Again, he had felt it. Again, he tried to push it from her mind, but found the thought was too strong to simply cast out. Draco came to a conclusion: something was wrong with Hermione. Because it was just too odd that she could have sounded so much like his aunt Bella.

_She was heading in the wrong direction. But why? Hadn't she heard a voice telling her to go this way? Yet, another voice was overpowering it. This one was much stronger, and much more cruel. She didn't know which way she was going, but her feet pulled her on._

_Over something cold. It was making her feet wet. The bitter wind was nipping at her skin. Yet she could not feel it. _Stop, _commanded the overpowering voice. She did. The wind was suddenly unable to reach her. Oh, how she wanted to see._

_She felt light headed – she had felt that for the longest time. She could hardly remember anything. She could only listen to the orders._

_She wanted to know what was going on, she wanted to be able to feel and see around her. As if to answer her silent pleas, the dark curtain covering her vision left…_

The moment the curse was lifted, Hermione would have screamed so loud that even Harry's mum and dad would be able to hear it. She would have, had it not been for the cold hand covering her mouth.

Dazed, she looked around. Where was she? All she could remember was standing in the secret passage with Malfoy… Everything was blank after that. So why was she…?

She could hear wind howling above her. She could feel the soft material of a hat she had knitted for SPEW on her head. She could see old, almost-rotten floorboards above and in front of her. Also in front of her was someone she hoped she would never have to meet.

Unfortunately for her, this would be the second time she had ever seen him.

And certainly not the last.

"Bellatrix, she can't breathe if you cover her mouth like that." He scolded.

The hand very grudgingly released her.

"Now then, Hermione," said Lord Voldemort, standing up from the chair he was sitting in the middle of the lower level of the Shrieking Shack, "I do so want you to tell me how you've been enjoying the lovely visions I gave you since we last saw each other."

* * *

**Okay, first things first. For those of you who thought Bellatrix was a little ooc last chapter, I would agree with you 100%. Sorry, but I had a brain cramp. She'll start ascing more like herself in later chapters. So, next item of business is:**

**I've started two new fan fictions that I want you to read! Here are brief summary's: The Heart Of A Murderer; "Quite bluntly," I said, "My only goal is to make wizards all over the world fear me. I don't care how you think. So how 'bout it? Wanna be a Death Eater?" Nott raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's your leader name?" I chuckled. "Call me Voldemort."**

**How It Was Supposed To Be: His parents are still alive, he has a younger sister, Voldemort doesn't exist... What could possibly be wrong with this wonderful dream? That's what Harry thinks, until he sees what's on his sister's forehead after she was attacked by an unknown force. **

**That's that. I don't want to continue them until I know people want to read them, so please review if you get the chance!**

**Love ya'll!**

**Panneler-san **


	18. When Love Blooms

* * *

**I'M SORRY!**

**School has been keeping me SO BUSY that I haven't even had time for myself at all! I do truly apologize for the hideously long wait (I made this chapter just a bit longer to make up for it .) Seriously, though, this one was hard to write. As always, I don't own harry Potter (although I do own a poster of him, that counts for something, right? ....Right?)**

* * *

When Love Blooms

"Hey," said Draco. Hermione didn't even blink. _"HEY!"_

Hermione jumped three feet into the air with a shriek, slipping on the frozen ground and landing butt-first into a pile of snow.

Draco tried to hide his laughter, barely succeeding. After a moment of recovery, he extended his hand out to her. "Did you get it?"

"I got it," she whispered, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a crumpled napkin. "I placed a freshness charm on this so the petals wouldn't get frostbitten."

"Nice," he said, fully unaware that he had just touched a Mudblood and hadn't even noticed, "Good job. Now lets get out of here before anyone sees us. We'll need to get back to the RoR right away so we can – Granger?"

Hermione was not listening. She was gazing with a far-off look in her eyes at her hand, which was still connected to Draco's. He seemed to notice this, and pulled it away rather quickly, unusually pink – even considering the cold weather.

"Come on, already, no point wasting time," he mumbled, and started back up to the castle. Hermione still didn't move. She was frozen, her brain whirling with Draco's reaction.

"Oh Merlin," she whispered to herself. "Can it be true?"

* * *

Hermione had always been the straight-laced type – once she saw it, she would believe it. Well, she was having a hard time with that, today.

"What's _with _you?" Draco asked angrily from behind the pile of junk. "Didn't I just ask you to read the next line?"

Hermione blinked. "Oh," she said. That was it. Just "Oh".

That did it; Draco's head popped into her line of vision, his whole being following shortly after that. "Hermione, what's wrong? You've been acting odd since a few days ago, and I don't think-"

"Ah!" she gasped.

He rolled his eyes. "What now?"

"You," she stuttered, "You, um, c-called me H-Hermione…"

Draco stared at her blankly. A very pregnant silence consumed the Room of Requirement. Hermione's palms were sweating where she clutched the open book in her lap. After a good, long minute, Draco said, "That's your name, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, b-but-"

"You prefer Mudblood, then?"

"N-no!"

Another silence ensued, but it was much shorter than the previous. Draco sighed. "I can't do anything, now. That conversation with you made me angry, and I really have no idea why. I'm going back to my Common Room,"

He walked swiftly past her, heading for the door. It took Hermione a few seconds to realize he was leaving before she acted.

"Wait!" she called, standing up and running to catch up with him. Draco paused and turned back to face her, eyebrow raised. "I," she murmured, "I have a…question for you."

"What?" asked Draco.

Hermione looked down at her feet. Her heart was thumping so loudly, she wondered if he could hear it. "Do you believe in…Prophesy?"

A short pause, "Do I believe in what, exactly?"

"Prophesy."

Draco thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose. Some things are just meant to happen. But," he said, "I think that sort of thing only happens if the fate of the world depends on it. I know this sounds crazy, but everything happens for a reason. But sometimes there may be something that can take two very different directions, so God or Merlin or whoever is up there gives someone down here a chance to take one of those paths. Then again, who is supposed to know if they take a direction that wasn't even intended? In other words, I don't believe completely in prophesy, but I do believe in-"

"Fate," Hermione finished for him.

Draco looked slightly surprised, but continued. "Yes. Like, for example, it could be fate that Potty and Weasel are gone for the holidays. Who knows? Something important may happen to them. Or, it could be fate that McGonagall is an Animagus. Or it could even be fate that-"

"that I became your slave?" Hermione whispered meekly.

Draco froze. Then he clearly saw the guilt and even the fear in her eyes. She refused to look at him, her eyes fixed determinedly on the floor. "What are you talking about, Hermione?" he asked.

"Think about it, Malfoy," she whispered bitterly, "You said it yourself. What if you were meant to notice me on the Quidditch Pitch that day? What if _you _were meant to fix something? Something horribly, horribly wrong? What if _we _were meant to?"

Draco could barely form words. Her way of thinking was much too expanded for him. Hermione blinked back what he realized were shining tears and continued.

"And," she said, "What if we were meant to fail?"

* * *

"_Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked, terrified._

_ The face of Lord Voldemort twisted into a cold smile. "Bellatrix," he said kindly to the woman behind her, "Please persuade her to be quiet and listen for a while."_

"Crucio!"_ Bellatrix screamed at the top of her lungs the moment her master stopped speaking._

_ Hermione couldn't hear herself scream. The pain was too intense. It felt like someone had taken her arms and twisted them around her back, grabbed her head and smashed it into the wall, taken a knife and plunged it straight into her heart…_

_ "That is only a small fraction of what will happen to you if you do not do exactly as I say," whispered Voldemort. "Now, I think I should begin explaining. Those visions you had were of the future. It is what will happen to you at some point in the next six months. But that is not all. I know that you are under the…supervision of Draco Malfoy. I have just a few words of caution to you. Ready to hear them?"_

_ Hermione was still gasping for breath when he had asked his question. Being rather sort on words, she did nothing but stare fearlessly into his terrible eyes. This was the person who had killed Harry's parents._

_ "First," said Voldemort, growing weary of waiting, "If you value your life at all, you will continue to do exactly as he says. And second: if you still value your life even after you have done this, do try not to fall in love with him."_

_ Her breathing hitched. "W-what?" she whispered._

_ Lord Voldemort's smile slowly fell from his snake-like face. "There is a Prophecy, Miss Granger," he said. "A Prophecy that is so similar to my own, that I wonder sometimes if their fates are not intertwined. It speaks of a Gryffindor, brave and true, and it speaks of a Slytherin, proud, spiteful, receiving his courage from pure fear. From what I can remember, the last line goes something like this:_

Neither can live without the Other

and Neither can live while the Other survives_."_

* * *

Hermione woke with a start, sitting stick-straight up in her four-poster. She was shaking, and a small bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. "Oh, Merlin," she whispered into the air. Unable to go back to sleep, she did something that Hermione Granger three months ago would have screamed in horror of: She began wandering the halls.

* * *

Not in any way planning to, she very soon found herself on the seventh floor corridor, nervously pacing up and down the blank stretch of wall begging the room desperately for somewhere to calm down.

A door appeared, and she didn't hesitate to seize the handle and yank it open. She scrambled inside and shut the door behind her, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sick," she muttered. "I'm…sick. Oh, no…"

She buried her face in her hands and slid down the wall, letting a tiny sob escape her. It was impossible. Something was wrong with her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same thing. She could hear the same words, feel the same touch…

Hermione let her fingertips brush across her bottom lip, remembering what warmth had once pressed against them. She thought and thought for the longest time, trying to convince herself that she didn't care, that it was all meaningless to her, but in the end, she was forced to conclude the truth.

"I can't believe I'm in love with Draco Malfoy," she whispered.

Had she been paying attention to her surroundings, she would have noticed that the place the room had chosen for her was Dumbledore's office. She also would have seen that the man himself was sitting behind his desk, a very grave expression on his aging face.

However, even if she had been paying attention, all of it would have left her mind because of what happened next.

Once more, she could hear Voldemort's voice in her head, echoing louder and louder and ringing truer than it ever had before.

_"Neither can live without the Other and Neither can live while the other survives. You see now, Miss Granger, that you really are going to die."_

* * *

**Okay, so I hope you liked it. As always, I absolutely love my reviewers. You guys are all so nice! Once more, please forgive the long wait.**

***Bows* **

**Panneler-san **

* * *


	19. I Won't Forgive You

I won't forgive you

"Miss Granger, I do realize that you are upset, but a Prefect really should learn not to be up and about at night."

Hermione's head shot up so quickly, she felt a vein pop in her neck. "Ouch! Professor! I'm sorry, I just-"

"It is alright, Miss Granger, I already know. I see more in this school than people give me credit for." Dumbledore smiled sadly.

"Professor, I-"

"Please, Miss Granger, I must say something before you make another comment." He interrupted her. She silenced herself, slightly surprised as he went on. "You must stop aiding Draco Malfoy."

She blinked. "What?" she whispered.

"You absolutely must stop helping him in the Room of Requirement. I cannot stress how utterly important this is. I realize that you have gained a reasonable amount of trust from him, but it must end today."

"Sir, I don't understand, why…?"

Dumbledore sighed softly. "That, I am not able to tell you. But promise me that you will never be alone with him again."

"Professor, I-"

"Promise me, Miss Granger. Swear it!"

She was at a loss for words. Several things flashed in her mind at once. How would Malfoy react if she told him she could no longer help him? With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized that he would let out the secret then. Gryffindors image would be ruined. Her own reputation would shatter. Harry's life would just get more complicated, and God knew he didn't need any more drama.

She knew what she had to do. She swallowed hard, looked into the Headmasters eyes, and lied. "I swear it, sir."

By the time Hermione had made her way back to her dormitory, it was just about six A.M. She climbed back under the covers of her four poster, and it seemed as if she had just barley closed her eyes when she was beat awake by a pillow hitting her face.

"Wake up, Hermione! It's Christmas!" came Lavender's voice.

"Lovely, getting to hear you first thing in the morning," she mumbled, sitting herself up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing, merry Christmas."

There was a small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. They were illuminated by the light sweeping in through the window. The position of the sun told her that she had slept for just about an hour before her dreams were so rudely interrupted.

Being the only two girls in the dormitory for the Holidays, they naturally conversed and chatted, Hermione a little more coolly than Lavender.

"It's from Won-Won!" she shrieked, seizing a bight blue package from the middle of her pile and tearing off the paper. Hermione turned away so she wouldn't have to watch. It was disgusting to her.

Only, she spotted a small box with the same colored wrappings at the foot of her bed, and grabbed it, her heart thumping. Had Ron sent her something? She had thought that he wouldn't even bother, considering how she had treated him in the last few weeks.

She heard Lavender complain loudly about how the wrong kind of perfume was under the paper as she ripped her own package open. Beneath was a tiny brown box with a lid. She lifted the lid, tossed it over her shoulder, and stared at what was inside.

_I'm sorry_

She blinked. It was a card. She read it again.

_I'm sorry_

Once more.

_I'm sorry_

Yep, it definitely said that. After a moment, Hermione allowed a small chuckle to escape her mouth. Lavender stared at her strangely, but she just shook her head to signalize not to ask, put the note back in the box, and left the Common room.

Most students that were still at Hogwarts were heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast, chatting and laughing happily with their friends. Hermione ignored them and the inviting smell of bacon and hot-cross-buns as she passed the doors of the Great Hall and walked down a deserted corridor.

"I can't believe Ron…" she mumbled to herself. "I can't believe him. He had to apologize right after I had finally moved on…"

She was being stupid. Moved on. Moved onto what? At this point, it was either Ron, or death. And the reason why she was being stupid was because she was willing to choose death. In fact, she favored it over a chance at happiness.

She could see why she would die. Choosing Draco had meant choosing the prophecy that declared both their deaths in two aspects. Was this why Dumbledore had told her to stop helping him? Was it because he knew about the prophecy and was trying to save them from their terrible fate? Hermione realized that even if that was the case, he had come a little too late.

To put it blatantly, Ron had quite literally killed her. She didn't fully understand the visions that she had been seeing, but she did understand that they would eventually happen. And once they did, just as she had seen and heard countless times, she would die.

"Where's Harry when you need him?" she whispered almost sarcastically. He knew more about death than anyone else she was friends with. Sighing lightly, she leaned her back against the wall, in the same corridor where Draco had once said _Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!_

And lo and behold, just as that memory popped into her head, the man himself came down the hall, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. He was laughing, a rather warm sound, when he saw her, and she saw him. His amused smirk slowly rolled off his face. All Hermione could do was to stare.

"Crabbe, Goyle, you go on down and start stuffing yourselves. I have some business to finish with this Mudblood, here."

Unintentionally, her face twisted in pain at the mention of Mudbloods. A normal Slytherin (such as Malfoy himself) would have noticed (and he did,) but Crabbe and Gayle remained oblivious to it. Once they had left the corridor, Draco's cold look melted off, replaced by one of confusion.

"Hermione?" he asked. "You look…I dunno, tired. Did you get enough rest?"

Was that concern in his voice? And had he really just called her by her first name again? What had happened to him, the Malfoy everyone knew? The one that would take more pleasure in torturing her rather than trying to comfort her?

She didn't respond, but only blinked. He seemed to let it blow over as he started speaking again. "Well, Christmas morning, you see, understandable that you would feel tired and all. So I want you in the Room today at about noon, bring your wand and try to find some sort of-"

"Draco," she cut him off. He stopped mid-word, his mouth hanging open at the mention of his first name. "Draco, I-I know that this might sound, well, odd and off topic, but… Why… Why did you force me, of all people, to help you?"

He looked at her like she had squids crawling on her head.

"I mean," she continued, forcing herself to act as if nothing was wrong, "I'm sure any of the other Slytherins would have gladly helped you. With whatever you're doing."

"This is sudden," he murmured. "I 'spouse it's because there are certain advantages to you helping me, and another Slytherin helping me. Disadvantages, too."

"What advantages?" she asked, taking a hesitant step forward.

"You're the smartest witch of our age, for one. And Slytherins may be cunning, but most of them lack the proper brainpower. Hmm… Another Slytherin wouldn't give me so much cheek."

"And disadvantages?" she asked.

Draco stepped slightly closer to her, a smirk on his face. "Slytherins are too obnoxious and inquisitive. Not to mention persistent. You're more subtle."

"And that's all?" asked Hermione, slightly disappointed. "You have no more information to give me whatsoever?"

"There are still _your_ disadvantages, in case you've forgotten." He responded. "Well, for one thing, you're loud, and nosy, and bad at treating wounds, and not very good at following instructions, and annoying, and you make me-" He stopped suddenly, cutting himself off abruptly.

"I make you what?"

"Nothing."

"I make you what?"

"Nothing, Granger, now stop asking questions!"

"Oh, I get it! I make you feel humble! Wow, a Malfoy, humble? That just doesn't fit very well. You were embarrassed to admit it, weren't you? Ha! I've found your secret, Draco Malfoy!"

"Did I ever _say _that was it? Where are you pulling these assumptions from?"

"I'm right, though, no?"

"Why would I even need to feel humble? For what reason?"

"Oh, so it's vanity that you've been referring to? I make you feel stupid then, right? Can't bask like you normally can in my knowledgeable glory?"

"I'm telling you, this has nothing to do with pride!"

"Then what is it? Come on, tell me! I make you feel what?"

"You make me feel…"

"? Yes?"

"Quite honestly, Hermione, exactly like this."

It was so sudden, so completely out of nowhere that Hermione's "Happy Act" died the instant he put his lips on hers.

It was in that moment that she lost herself. She forgot that they were still in Hogwarts. She forgot that she was in Gryffindor and he was in Slytherin. She forgot about Harry, homework, and even Dumbledore's warning dissolved in an instant as she found herself kissing him back.

After a short while, Draco pulled away, his breathing slightly off-put and rushed, a look of complete wonder on his face. "Does this mean I'm free to assume what I wish?" he asked.

Rather than saying anything, she shocked him and even herself by stretching up on her tip-toes and brushing her lips briefly against his. In that short moment, she had realized three things.

First, the prophecy was correct. Neither can live without the other, and neither can live while the other survives. They were trapped at every angle. There was no escaping this thing Draco had once described to her as "Fate".

Second, Dumbledore's warning had been in vain. Despite what he had told her, there was no way she could ignore him ever again. Not after this, anyway.

And third, even if it was fate, destiny, or prophecy, in her eyes, he had still made this happen.

Suddenly her head ached. Her vision swam, and she pulled away from Draco, groaning. She could feel the black darkness coming over her again, with the familiar voice of Voldemort ringing through her head again and again, but in different words this time. She just couldn't make out what they were…

The last thing that went through her head before she was overcome with images of a circular room with many different doors was this: _Ron Weasley, I will never forgive you for killing me._


	20. The Unbreakable Vow

**Okay-dokey, for some reason, the edit-thingy ain't working, so I went back and added the AN on the original manuscript. Kay, so I don't own HP, and I didn't last chapter, either. I was thinking it would be really awesome if I could get each person who reads this chapter to review, no matter how short. Thanks!**

** Panneler-san *bows***

** P.S I hope you like the twist at the end of this… And please don't kill me!**

The Unbreakable Vow

"Hermione! Snap out of it!"

Hermione opened her eyes a mere five seconds after she had closed them. Draco's face was filled with concern, doubt, even a little… fear. She smiled at him. "Sorry!" she said cheerfully, earning a puzzled stare from him. "I blacked out there for a moment, head rush, you know. I'm perfectly fine!"

She realized that she had fallen onto her back, so Draco helped her to her feet. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah!" squeaked Hermione in a very un-Hermioneish way. "Never better!"

"Then why are you shaking?" asked Draco quietly.

Hermione froze, her face blank, but it lasted for only a split second before she smiled hugely and said, "Must be the, er, after shock of the blackout. Nothing I can't handle, really, Draco, I'm fine."

"Hermione, I-"

"Well, Happy Christmas! I suppose I'll see you in the room after dinner, then, no?"

"I actually thought since it _was_ Christmas we could take a break-"

"Great! Then I'll catch you later!"

"Hermione-!" he called after her, but she was already rushing down the hall as fast of her legs could carry her. "What in the bloody name of Merlin happened?"

Hermione walked quickly until she reached the turning point in the corridor then broke out into a run. This could not be happening, not now, not now…

She rounded the corner to sprint up the steps to the Common room when she sprinted into something else, first. Whatever books and papers that person was carrying flew out of her hands and scattered all across the staircase and landing.

"Miss Granger! Are you quite alright?" yelled Professor McGonagall.

"Professor! I'm sorry! I've been clumsy lately," said Hermione, grabbing some of the fallen papers and handing them back to the aging woman. To her horror, the Professor's lips pressed into a thin (_very _thin) line. But unlike the punishment she thought she was about to receive, she handed her a rolled-up piece of parchment from among the Professors many.

"Miss Granger, the Headmaster asked me to give this to you. He wants you to hand it to Mr. Potter when he comes back from his holiday. Thank you, that will be all." Before Hermione could breathe a word, Professor McGonagall was walking hurriedly down the corridor, her lips just as thin as she muttered, "What does he mean, _It is no concern of yours, Minerva_? Hm. Minerva, indeed."

Her heart still pounding, she watched the elderly woman disappear. Glancing at the parchment, her heart pounded. It had been quite some time since Dumbledore had asked Harry to come in for one of his lessons.

Suddenly, she remembered why she had been running. She groaned. "I'm such a fool."

Why did she have to see _that _at such a time? Why couldn't she just be happy?

"I was a fool to think this would have a happy ending."

*

"What on earth was wrong with her?" Draco mumbled. His appetite gone, he had slowly started walking back to his common room, sliding his fingertips across his lips.

Where she had kissed him.

Quite unlike himself, his pale cheeks tinged a dull pink at the memory. He looked down out of distraction. "Stupid," he mumbled, "Kissing me like that, what was she thinking. But…" _She loves me._

A famous Malfoy smirk could be seen from his face, this one smirkier than any he had ever given.

"Enjoying your holidays, O Great Nephew of Mine?"

The smirk dropped from his lips fasted than a stone in water. He spun around.

"Or are you too busy snogging filth?" asked Bellatrix.

She was leaning against the stone wall, her arms folded dangerously over her stomach and a frown pasted over her mouth. Draco eyed her blue cloak in something of a shock, and then fear. If she was here, then that meant…

"What do you want?"

Bellatrix _tisked_ twice, still unsmiling. "Ungrateful little blood-traitor, aren't you?"

Draco whipped out his wand so fast that even he wasn't sure if it had already been in his hand. There was a flash of blue light, but the Death-Eater was ready.

_"Protego," _Bellatrix said lazily, flicking her wand. Draco's spell was deflected with such ease that he was even more enraged.

"Who's a blood-traitor?" he growled, lowering his weapon.

Bellatrix pushed herself off the wall and took three steps forward. "I'm here on the Dark Lord's business. Otherwise I wouldn't have taken the pain to sneak back in here through the Honeydukes passage. Of course, I wouldn't have to go through that if you hadn't broken the-"

"What do you want?" hissed Draco.

"Let's get straight to the point then. The Dark Lord is not pleased, Draco. Not in the least. He needs you to hurry it up."

"I've been working as fast as I can!"

"Not fast enough," she said coldly. "You should be working so hard your hands are bleeding, your eyes are red from lack of sleep, your sweat seeps from every pore. Need I remind you what the Dark Lord has promised you if this is not finished?"

What little color was left in his face drained. "What do you want me to do?" he whispered.

"The Dark Lord Wishes you to perform an Unbreakable Vow. And now."

"An Unbreakable Vow? But we have no witness…"

"That's what you think, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco spun toward the new voice. Standing clad in his usual black attire was Severus Snape.

"I thought I told you I didn't want your help!" snarled Draco.

"I'm merely here as the binder. I'd hardly come for my own pleasure. Please begin, Bellatrix."

His aunt's cold fingers suddenly grasped around his own, squeezing so hard that he felt trapped. "Oh, and Draco," said Bellatrix, "I was ordered to kill you on the spot if you don't agree – My apologies, Severus – so I trust you will respond with the proper phrase?"

"I will," said Draco, ironically enough. He was shaking. He was frightened. He was scared. What did Voldemort want him to do that would require an Unbreakable Vow? "May I ask what purpose this will serve?"

"I was ordered to tell you before you make the vow." Said Bellatrix, as if just remembering. "It is something to lure Harry Potter into a hostage-type situation in which he will be forced on his knees. Or so to speak. Satisfied?"

Him, satisfied? Hardly.

"Then I will begin."

Draco's mind was spinning. He felt…sick. As if he knew something horribly wrong was about to happen. He felt completely powerless as his aunt bound his live into his vow.

"Will you, Draco Malfoy, make the Unbreakable Vow?"

"I…will."

"Once the vanishing cabinet is fixed, will you kill the Mudblood, Hermione Granger?"


	21. Potty And Weasel Return

**Don't own HP. Thanks for reminding me, geez.**

**Love all my reviewers! It's still too early to say this, but I WILL give a shout out to my 200****th**** reviewer. But that special one won't come for another few chapters at least… *sigh***

**To those who review, I would like you to answer a simple question, just because I can't decide what would make this plot funnier, or more dramatic: Who do you want to make more of a comeback? Cormac or Ron?**

**Thanks for your time! *bows***

**Panneler-san**

Potty And Weasel Return

Several other Slytherin's had noticed the change in Draco over the last year, but had been so terrified of him and his family that they had decided to be under the pretense of utter obliviousness. However, the changes had been very subtle and slight, so no one saw the need to mention it, despite their fears.

But once Christmas ended…

Just like the subtle emotional changes in the past year, in the last few days after Christmas they began to notice not-so-subtle physical changes.

Crab and Goyle, for instance, noticed that he didn't eat at meals anymore. Pansy Parkinson (although she had realized it since the Slytherin Quidditch tryouts,) was forced to conclude that Draco showed no more signs of playfulness toward her. Blaize Zabini noticed that he hardly ever slept anymore, and when he did he was fitful, muttering about things that made his spine crawl. Even the Bloody Baron saw with his dead eyes that there were dark circles under the students.

This time, they felt less inclined to mention their concerns due to his lack of a civil conversation abilities. Though not shown in front of other houses, as the break drew to a close Slytherin house and its members unity had started reducing itself into a pile of rubble.

Hermione Granger's spirits, on the other hand, were slowly lifting – but not above the horrible black fog she knew was lurking around the corner.

Determined not to show her weakness in front of her friends, she prayed she could hold onto her sanity until they returned. That was, until she rounded the corner and saw Harry, Ginny, and Ron standing in front of the Fat Lady.

Oh. Well, acting time.

"What d'you mean, 'no'?" Harry yelled in disbelief.

"There is a new password, and please don't shout." said the Fat Lady coolly.

"But we've been away, how're we supposed to-?"

"Harry! Ginny!" Hermione called, speeding up her footwork to reach her friends. It didn't take long, and she smiled (perhaps a bit too hugely, earning a strange look from Ginny). "Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," said Ron, "Pretty eventful, Rufis Scrim-"

Hermione cut him off. "I've got something for you, Harry. Oh, hang on – password. Abstinence."

The Fat Lady hiccoughed slightly. "Precisely,"

"Anyway…" said Hermione as she rummaged around in her pocket. When her fingers finally found the note Professor McGonagall had given her, she pulled it out and handed it to him.

Harry read it then said, "Great, I've got loads to tell him – and you. Let's sit down-"

Ron, who had just started following them through the portrait hole was suddenly pushed back by an explosion of someone dressed in pink. _"Won-won!" _shrieked Lavender, throwing herself at him. Several onlookers sniggered at Ron's almost obvious discomfort.

Hermione laughed light-heartedly – because that was how she felt around them, now – and turned back to the raging fire in the common room fireplace. "There's a table over here… Coming, Ginny?"

Ginny glanced over her shoulder and sighed audibly. "No, thanks, I said I'd meet Dean."

Hermione couldn't help but notice that she seemed less than overjoyed at this idea, but let her attend to her own life.

As they were sitting down at the empty table, Harry asked, "So how was your Christmas?"

The genuine smile that had been displayed over her face for the last thirty seconds became genuinely fake. She felt a small bead of sweat roll down the back of her neck and her spine stiffen. "Oh, fine" _Liar. _"Nothing special." _LIAR! _"How was it at Won-Won's?"

She felt horrible about hiding herself with this topic, but the more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. After all, Won-Won _had _ended up killing her.

"I'll tell you about that in a moment. Look, Hermione, can't you-?"

"No, I can't, so don't even ask." She cut him off ruthlessly.

Harry looked defeated. "I thought maybe, you know, over Christmas-"

"Harry, please," she whispered, "Please, there's too much on my mind to worry about that now."

Thankfully enough, Harry seemed to notice he was treading into uncharted waters with that conversation and dropped it. "So I need to talk to you about Malfoy."

Hermione's stomach fluttered. "M-Malfoy?"

"Yeah, I was going to tell you before the break, but you had already left for your parents house that morning after Slughorn's party."

Her heart-rate increased considerably. Black guilt filled every inch of her soul, and then the sickening realization came over her.

Harry wouldn't be happy to know she had kissed Draco Malfoy. Even less happy to know that she did so willingly. And even less happy to know that she was in love with him. There was no telling what he would do. She had to keep this a secret. Her friendship with her best friend depended on it.

"Snape pulled him aside – I saw it. I followed them to an empty classroom, and Snape offered to help him. Mentioned 'your Master' and everything. You can't possibly ignore the fact that it means he is planning something."

Hermione considered her options carefully before saying calmly, "No, I can't. But Harry, did it ever occur to you that Snape was trying to-"

"Trick Malfoy into telling him what he was doing? Yeah, several times. But really, who else can 'your Master' be other than Voldemort?"

"I don't know… Maybe his father?"

Harry sighed. "Maybe. But I'm not convinced. I'm positive that he's been branded with the Dark Mark. That He's a Death Eater."

Hermione shook her head – more out of fear and attempts to clear her mind than confusion, but she was glad that Harry interpreted it as the latter. "I don't know," she said again. "I'm just not sure about a lot of things, now."

Harry looked at her questioningly. After a moment, he opened his mouth and said, "Hermione, I think there's something I should tell you-"

_"OI! POTTER! GET YOUR SORRY ARSE DOWN TO THE QUIDDITCH PITCH BEFORE GINNY KILLS EVERYONE IN SIGHT!"_

Harry and Hermione jumped violently out of their skins as Seamus Finnigan's surprisingly loud scream met their ears. Harry ran over to the portrait hole when Seamus was standing, panting, covered in mud and sweat, and something that looked horribly like blood.

"What is it? What's happened?" he asked frantically.

"I dunno!" Seamus yelled at him, making the entire common room stare at the pair in shock. "Dean said something to her at that practice you organized today – that you aren't at, I may point out – and she just pulled her wand on him and _bam_! She started shooting spells at everyone she could see!"

The boys ran down the corridor as the portrait hole closed with a snap and the Fat Lady muttered something about rudeness and filth before quieting down. There was tension in the common room as everyone stared at where the boys had disappeared before there was a mad rush to get outside and see the red-haired deamoness.

Hermione didn't move. Mainly because she was very deep in thought. Harry was slowly coming on to the fact that Draco was indeed planning something, and that left less and less options for her to keep up her façade. How could she keep all this secret from the friends she loved like her own family?

Suddenly, an Eagle owl swooped in through the open window and dropped a note in Hermione's lap, snapping her out of her trance. The Owl quickly departed again, and she tore open the seal on the letter. Her heart soared: it was from Draco! Then she read all seven words on the parchment and her heard dropped like a stone in water.

_Don't come to the room ever again, Mudblood._


	22. Totally Unexpected

**I don't own Harry Potter (although it would be pretty cool)**

Totally Unexpected

Ginny had been suffering from stress. Her temper had been running short all Christmas, and when apparently Dean had asked her if she could move over to the right a little, she blew a fuse. Currently in the Hospital Wing, she was under the influence of one of Professor Snape's strongest calming droughts, and needless to say, she was feeling much better.

If not a little a ticked off.

"So, Hermione, it's Ron's birthday tomorrow." said Harry casually.

"Is it," she replied unenthusiastically, dumping the remaining caterpillar heads into her cauldron of what looked like thick, gray glue. Like she had forgotten.

"Er, yeah," said Harry, already knowing his efforts were in vain. "So do you think you could-?"

"Not a chance, so don't even ask, Potter."

"So we're not on first name terms anymore?" he asked, annoyed.

"Not when you talk about Won-Won."

"Look, Hermione, Can't you-"

"Stop it!" she yelled. Everyone in the dungeon classroom stood still. Hermione could feel the eyes of both Ron and Draco burning into the back of her head. But she was blind to them. "Just stop it, Harry! Do you think I don't want to? Do you think I don't whish that things were back to the way they were? It's not that I don't want to, Harry, it's that I can't! So please, just stop!"

Overcome with a wall of emotions, she grabbed her bag and raced out of the classroom, the images playing over and over again in her mind.

A black lake, dead hands, the Dark Mark, a stormy sea, cold, silver eyes, a flash of green light, then nothingness. This was her future. It was inevitable.

She suddenly felt herself wishing that Sirius was still alive. Sirius had been kind to her and always listened whenever she had a problem. She had never told Harry, because she didn't want him to get jealous over the amount of time she spent with his Godfather, but she had talked to Sirius more than anyone else.

Just plain, comforting talk. Like that one time at the beginning of last year…

"Sirius can I – can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Hermione on the verge of tears.

The man immediately dropped the copy of the Daily Prophet he was holding and stood up from the kitchen table. "What's wrong, Hermione?" he asked severely.

She held nothing back. The tears spelt over and she covered her hands over her face. "It-it's Harry!" she sobbed. "He was so, so angry, Sirius! So mad that we didn't tell him anything! You should have heard him; he was yelling that he didn't know anything that was going on, and when we tried to explain to him that we didn't know anything either, he wouldn't listen!"

Sirius wrapped his arms around her. "I could hear him." He said softly. "We all could. He wasn't exactly whispering, was he?"

In spite of herself, Hermione let out a bitter bark of laughter and he released her. "He's never exactly been the quiet one, has he?" she asked. "Well, I'd better go…"

"Hermione," sighed Sirius, "I know that wasn't all you wanted to talk about. You can trust me, remember."

The girl stared at him, and her admiration for his character practically beamed through her. "You know, Sirius," she said, "You're like a second father to me. Of course I trust you."

"So, then," he pressed.

Hermione switched from weepy to angry in less than a second. "It's that complete ARSE, Ronald!"

Sirius jumped about a foot in the air while she ranted.

"He is so utterly and completely insensitive that it's disgusting! I told him in sincerity that I was worried about finishing my summer homework and he just laughed at me and told me that I needed to cool off! Can you believe him? I mean, we're in our fifth year! This is one of the most important years of our academic lives and he acts as if he doesn't even care in the least! He is such a-!"

Her rant ended when Sirius's laughter got completely out of control. He was practically rolling on the ground in hysterics.

Hermione put her hands on her hips and screeched shrilly, "This isn't funny!"

"Hermione!"

She snapped out of her memory when the sound of someone calling her reached her ears. She barely had time to turn around when someone grabbed her arm, causing her books to clatter to the floor with a thud.

She managed to gasp, "Draco!" before he forcefully kissed her with all his might. She gasped in surprise as he pushed her against the wall, making escape impossible. It was extremely brief, though. He pulled back and seemed completely unaffected. "Wha-?" she gasped.

"Listen to me!" he hissed, shaking her shoulders, his voice demanding. "Weasley doesn't matter! I know that you're still angry at him!"

"But I-"

"No, listen! I know you are! After you sobbed so thoroughly like that into me, you're eyes haven't been the same! Tell me the truth – you still love him, don't you?"

She was scared. She was scared of Draco. "Who ever said I loved him in the first place?" she asked. "And what do you care? Mudblood that I am?" she shot at him.

He gulped and let go of her arms. "I didn't mean it," he whispered.

"Of course you didn't!" she screeched. "How could I possibly have thought that?" The sarcasm layering her voice was disgusting, even to her.

"I'm doing this to protect you!" he argued.

"Why do I need protection?" she asked. "I can take care of myself!"

"Hermione, they-!"

"I don't want to hear it!"

"They want me to kill you!"

The silence rang throughout the corridor. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, anything, but found her lips trembling instead. She stared. He stared.

An uncertain voice drifted to their ears. "Hermione?"

The two teenagers spun around so fast that they were in danger of falling over. "Oh, Merlin," whispered Hermione, terrified as Draco swore under his breath.

Ginny Weasley stood at the top of the corridor having just barely been released from the Hospital wing. Her wide eyes gazed at the very unlikely pair in a mixture of disbelief, anger, uncertainty, and utter horror.

She pointed to Draco, who swore again. "What the hell are you doing here with him?" she asked.

Hermione took a step forward. "Ginny, please, let me explain," she begged.

"You're going to do much more than explaining, Hermione Granger!" the fiery-haired girl yelled. "What the hell did he just do to you? Why didn't you punch him, huh? Who wants to kill you?"

In the midst of her rant, Draco took six long strides and grabbed her arm, heading back to Hermione.

"Hey!" Ginny complained.

"Draco," Hermione started, but was cut off by his other hand grabbing her arm and yanking her along for the ride.

He dragged them into a deserted classroom and shut the door. Before Ginny or Hermione could react, he kissed the latter with just as much – even possibly more – force than before.

Hermione was lost in the moment. She forgot about Ginny, about being discovered, about Ron, about Harry, about the small, nagging voice in the back of her head that repeated the same scenes and sentence over and over again: Nothing mattered but him.

His arms wrapped around her waist, having released the third wheel in their party, and eventually twined into her hair. His breathing was heavy, his kissing forceful. Then, all too soon, he pulled back and faced Ginny, standing speechless with shock.

"That's what I did to her, Weaselette." He said coldly. "That is what I did to her a month ago, that is what I did to her last week, that is what I did to her in the corridor, and that is what I just barely did."

Neither girl could speak. Both were too shocked for words. But Draco had plenty more.

"I love Hermione. I have for months. There is no way, no possible shred of hope that your brother could love anyone like I love her. And because I feel this way…"

Ginny gasped and Hermione's hands flew over her mouth; Draco had knelt down before the Weasley girl and bowed his head, like a crippled man trying to drink water off the ground.

"…I beg you not to tell anyone."

Hermione's eyes flew to her friend. She was staring at Draco's humbled figure ashen-faced. Neither girl had ever seen him so honest or sincere before. But Hermione was still worried.

What on earth did Ginny think?

Thanks for reading! Like it? Hm? Hm? HM?

Please review! *bows* Panneler-san


	23. Birthday Surprises

**I tried to upload last week, but I've been too busy with School Musical rehearsals. But I got it today! Good, no?**

**Please enjoy! Tell me if it's too heavy on the drama.**

**No credit or ownage mine. Harry can stand on his own two feet.**

Birthday Surprises

"I don't know, Hermione," Ginny sighed much later than night in the girl's dormitory. "I think I should be yelling and telling you how stupid you are – Merlin knows I want too – but I never thought Malfoy could…plead like that."

Hermione nodded, casting a worried glance at the sleeping shapes of Lavender and Parvati, praying they wouldn't wake up. "Neither did I," she admitted. "I've seen loads of…shocking behavior from him over the last while, but that was just so out of sync…"

Ginny nodded vigorously. "Now, you do have to realize how much I hate you right now," she said, and Hermione cringed. "But I want you to answer me this one question – and truthfully! Do you love him?"

It caught her off guard; she blinked, her lips slightly apart, her face overall blank. Ginny stared at her expectantly. She gulped. "I," she whispered, "think I really do."

A short silence, then a sigh. "Well, what am I supposed to tell you?" she asked tiredly. "I can't force you to not love him. You can love who you want. I know that in time, I'll get over it. Heck – I might even support you. But I doubt that Harry and Ron will understand like I do. And I do understand, because….because I've loved someone I knew I shouldn't have, too."

Hermione placed her arm comfortingly around Ginny's shoulders as tears swam in the latter's eyes. She knew she was speaking about Harry. "You know, Gin," she whispered, "I'm pretty sure he likes you. Merlin knows I've seen him blushing whenever you talk to him."

Tragedy was replaced with hope on her face. "Really?" she asked. Then she frowned. "No! Wait, you're trying to change the subject! Okay, look, here's the deal. I won't tell anyone about you and Malfoy – Don't jump for joy yet! – but only if you promise not to get involved in anything dangerous."

Hermione grinned. "I promise!"

"And," said Ginny, "No snogging in the middle of the halls."

"Merlin knows we can't do that!"

"And," she interrupted once again, "Whoever wants to kill you, stay away."

"Can do."

"And – oh, stop whimpering! It's the last one – you have to say something to Ron tomorrow. It is his birthday, Hermione, and even if you no longer like him, he's still your friend."

She hesitated. "A-alright, Ginny. Now get out of here! I need my sleep."

Ginny turned when she reached the door, a mischievous smile on her face. "I just realized something," she said. Hermione rose an eyebrow questioningly. "This thing you have with Malfoy? It's actually pretty hot." and raced back to her four-poster.

*

"_I can't believe it!" she sobbed. "T-this is impossible! He can't be dead…He just can't!"_

_ "Don't you believe your own eyes?" asked the cold, unfeeling voice. "I thought you were rather smart, but you can't even distinguish between reality and your own fantasies."_

_ She sobbed again, brushing the tears out of her eyes, reaching out with a shaking hand to the body lying motionless before her._

_ "Pity, Miss Granger, friend of Harry Potter. You should have listened to me the first time I said it. Because now you've lost-"_

_ "No," she moaned._

_ "-absolutely-"_

_ "Don't die!"_

_ "-_everything._"_

_ "RON!"_

"HERMIONE! WAKE UP!"

Hermione jumped clean out of her skin, falling off her bed in the process. "What?!" she yelled.

A tearful Ginny was before her, and a stern, grim-looking Professor McGonagall behind her.

"W-what's going on?" she asked fearfully. A strong sense of foreboding was enveloping the room. It had been a while since she had last had a dream like that. Her friend's face, cold, blank, and staring straight into her eyes was frozen in her mind. She shook it away silently. "Professor, what's wrong?"

"Miss Granger," said the elderly lady solemnly, "I think you should go down to the hospital wing."

Her blood ran cold. "W-why?"

"Mr. Weasley is dying."

*

"He's out of danger now, so stop crying. He was never dying to begin with! Once Harry shoved the Beazor down his throat, he was completely fine!" said Fred.

"Yeah, Hermione, plus, it's not like it was your fault." said George.

"I just want to know how poison got into Slughorn's cabinet," growled Harry.

Everyone fell silent.

"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays?" said Fred.

It was evening; the hospital wing was quiet, the windows curtained, the lamps lit. Hermione and Ginny had spent all day outside the double doors, trying to get a glimpse of Ron when Madam Pomfrey would go in or out. The nurse had only let them in at eight o'clock. Fred and George had arrived at ten past.

"This isn't how we imagined handing over our present," said George grimly, putting a large wrapped with on the bedside table.

"Yeah, when we pictured the scene, he was conscious," said Fred.

"There we were in Hogsmead, waiting to surprise him –" said George.

"You were in Hogsmead?" asked Ginny, looking up.

Hermione was not mentally present for the next half-hour of conversation that followed, not even when Hagrid came bursting through the doors. After hearing from Harry what had happened, she had left herself to think over it all. So she thought and thought and thought, and finally, a fact stuck out to her; Poison. From a mysterious bottle. A present, intended for Dumbledore. It had only appeared in his cabinet sometime before Christmas.

Draco.

Katie Bell.

The necklace.

Missing.

Voldemort.

_Me._

Hermione stood up so suddenly, that everyone, including Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who had entered the room less than a second before, jumped.

"Hermione?" asked Harry.

She rounded on him, rage in her eyes. "Where's the Slytherin Common room?" she demanded.

"Wha-?"

"TELL ME, HARRY!"

In his shock, he immediately blurted out her desired answer, and she burst past the Weasley's and the Hospital Wing doors and flew down the corridor. When she reached the blank stretch of wall Harry had described, it immediately shrank back, as if sensing her rage.

She was not in the mood to play guessing games with passwords, now.

It seemed that every single Slytherin was present in the common room, and stared at her, silent in shock. But she only had her eyes, burning with malice, fixed on one person.

Once three feet away from Draco Malfoy, she whipped out her wand and before anyone could stop her, shrieked, "_Deprimo!_"

Draco was hit by the strong gust of wind with exceeding force, and was blown backward off the arm of the couch he was sitting on.

"Never talk to me again!" she screamed at him, the shocked Slytherins forgotten in the background. "Because of YOU, Ron almost died! Because of me, he almost died! Do you enjoy it, Malfoy, taking control of my life to the point where I even hurt my friends? Do you get a thrill from that?"

She paused briefly to catch her breath. Not a thing moved. Finally, Draco sat up. "Granger, what-?"

_"Deprimo!" _she screamed. He was blown back again. "Find someone else to help you. Ask one of your Death Eater friends! I won't do it anymore! I HATE YOU!"

Hermione sprinted back out of the room, her tears angry.

She had never been so enraged before. Nothing had ever made her angry enough to possess her to do something like that.

Harry's head popped out from behind the end of the corridor she was racing down. "Hermione!" he called.

"I'm not in the mood, Harry!" she screeched.

"It's not about Ron!" he yelled. That shut her up. "Look!" he said, the rest of his body appearing, holding a piece of paper. "This was posted on every notice board in the school less than a minute ago!"

Hermione read the paper heading and felt her blood run cold. She really did hate him.

GRANGER AND POTTER

-

PARTNERS IN CRIME

-

The Quidditch team that cheats – Published by Draco Malfoy

**NOOOOO! The secret's out! Horrible! Please review and tell me your feelings!**


	24. The Lies In My Head

**Guess what? I'M NOT DEAD! Bet everyone thought I was, though, huh? :P Okay, down to business. I made this chapter extra-long to make up for my awfulness. Please forgive me!**

**Me: Ne, ne, Mrs. Rowling?**

**JK Rowling: Yes, Panneler-san?**

**Me: Can I PLEASE borrow Harry for, like, just half a seco-**

**JK Rowling: NO.**

**Sad day. Read on.**

The Lies In My Head

It was all over the school; Harry Potter and his sidekick, Hermione Granger were secretly cheating for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and had illegally taken Polyjuice Potion to do so. A small bunch of Ravenclaw second years were said to have been present when Professor McGonagall had taken them from a corridor and to the Headmaster's office.

They had been in there for hours. No one knew what was going on. Once the news had spread to all four houses in a matter of thirty minutes, students nervously paced around the halls, wishing they knew how their famous Wizard Star was doing.

Needless to say, all were surprised that Harry would do something so low as to cheat, but he was the only one they were concerned for.

Hermione Granger was the center of everyone's attention. Who would have guessed that Miss goody-goody two-shoes, the genius of Hogwarts and possibly the smartest witch of the century had deliberately done something against the law?

The Wizarding law?

She had stolen from a teacher, taken the illegal potion, given it to her friend, and all that just to cheat for a sport? She was the lowest of the low – disgusting.

Hated.

Who would love someone like Hermione Jean Granger?

*

"In regards to your punishment, I'm sure you both know what will take place," said Dumbledore seriously, a grave expression on his old face. Hermione's face darkened with same and anger. "How ever,"

Her and Harry's head shot up, hopeful.

Dumbledore smiled. "I will not expel you. You may relax Harry, Miss Granger. But the rules state that I must suspend you for a maximum of one week, in which you may have no contact with anything in Hogwarts. You must return home. Harry, Molly Weasley has asked that I allow you to stay at the Burrow during your suspension, and I've agreed. Miss Granger, you may go to your own parents in your old home. Enjoy the leisure. I daresay you've earned a rest."

Harry smiled hugely and thanked the Headmaster openly. Although excited at the prospect of going home, Hermione could not bring herself to feel happy. She felt betrayed. She had thought – hoped – that Draco was kinder than that. She had believed him when he said he loved her. Was it all a lie?

"Miss Granger?"

"Hermione!"

She jumped. Both Harry and Dumbledore were staring at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you could leave the room for just a moment? I have something that I must discuss with Harry," repeated Dumbledore patiently. "And then something I must discuss with you, but Harry will come first."

Hermione slipped off the chair and headed for the exit. "I'll wait outside the door," she said, and shut it behind her.

The door certainly wasn't sound-proof, as she soon found out: Dumbledore's voice traveled through it easily. Hermione wouldn't have listened. She felt terrible enough already; but the first words she heard made it hard to resist.

"I've found a Horcrux, Harry."

Hermione froze. She was suddenly reminded of something, but she couldn't place her finger on what…

"Have you, sir?" asked Harry, clearly excited. "Where? What?"

"All in good time, my boy. I did promise to bring you with me, but today is not the day. Until I know of the possible dangers that may await us, I cannot endanger your life."

Endanger Harry's life? Hermione shook her head. Even if it was Dumbledore, she would only let Harry endanger his life over her dead body.

Harry said, "Sir, I've been wondering. Have you thought about what I said to you last time I was here? About Malfoy and Hermione?"

Her blood ran cold. She felt like her life was draining out of her. And all she could do was listen.

"I have had no time to consider it,"

_That was so painfully and obviously a lie._

Hermione jumped. Voldemort's voice. She almost screamed.

"None at all, Harry. I've been so busy."

_He's lying to him, friend of Harry Potter._

"Sir," said Harry uncertainly, "Have you by any chance…forgotten what I said?"

"As a matter of fact, it has slipped my mind, some."

_Lies._

"Well, lately, Malfoy has been disappearing, and…well, Hermione has, too. It's weird. I don't know how to describe it, but its like…like Hermione's been hiding something from me. And how both she and Malfoy disappeared in the middle of Professor Slughorn's Christmas party. And – the weird thing is – Mrs. Weasley got a Muggle letter from Hermione's parents asking if she'd gone to Ron's house over the break, because she didn't come home. We were really worried about her, but then she was here, acting like she'd been gone like everyone else. I don't know, but I think this has been going on for quite a while."

_Dumbledore knows this all well._

"What do you think, Harry?" asked Dumbledore. "I'm quite at a loss, myself."

_He knows you've been helping Draco. So why is he acting as if he knows nothing? It is almost as if…_

"No," whispered Hermione.

_…he wants you to know what they're saying._

"I won't listen," she muttered. Her breathing became unstable. The voices of Harry and Dumbledore faded in the background, overcome by a high, cold, heartless laugh.

_What would you do without me, Miss Granger? I'm sure that you've discovered it by now?_

"Leave me alone," she said loudly.

_I know you've been listening to me. Are my words starting to sink in? I'm sure that you realize that when all your friends are dead, and you are alone – _

"Get out of my head!"

_You will have lost everything. Except…_

"Stop it!"

_For me._

"SHUT UP!"

Suddenly Severus Snape was staring her in the face. She reeled backward in shock, her back hitting against the door to the office. He stared at her expressionless.

"Detention for yelling vulgarities outside the Headmaster's office," he said without emotion. "My office. Nine o'clock PM for the first five days you get back from your suspension. Argue, or your friends argue, and it will be a month. Go back to your dormitory, Granger. It's quite late."

Snape knocked on the door and it opened. Hermione caught a glance of Harry staring at her and Dumbledore with a look on his face that was almost…fearful. Then Snape strode inside, shut the door, and he was gone. Then half a second later, Harry came out, shut the door, and as quietly as he could, put his ear against it, motioning to Hermione to be quiet.

After thirty seconds, it dawned on both of them, with different measures of surprise, that the door was now sound-proof.

Harry sighed. "Let's go." He said. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the stairs and out from behind the statue of the Gargoyle. The halls were empty. They walked without talking, until Hermione found the atmosphere between them much too awkward.

"…Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.

"You don't want me to, though." He said.

"But you want to. Please, just say it, Harry. I'm going insane."

"Right, then. Who were you yelling at?"

"Not Snape."

"I figured. So who?"

She looked down.

"You told me to ask."

She found something to stare at on the floor.

"Hermione,"

She looked up. "Don't you think these floors need polishing?"

"Just tell me."

She gulped. "You won't believe me."

Harry let go of her wrist and turned to face her, halting their progress down the corridor. She was surprised at the intensity in his bright green eyes. She gulped, feeling the slight perspiration forming on her forehead, then gave in.

"The same person you were being tricked by last year." She whispered.

Harry said nothing.

"I-I know what you're thinking, Harry," she said. "But…all I know is it has to do with when I disappeared. I can hardly remember anything. Everyone's forgotten it, by now, but I think about it every day. I know it's his voice in my head. It has been for months. And he…tells me things."

"What kind of things?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "Nothing much," she said, "Nothing important, anyway. Let's get back, Harry, I'm really tired and I still have to finish the essay for Ancient Runes, and-"

"Hermione. I'm serious. What did he say?"

She had no strength left in her to lie. "Death." She told him. He blinked, fear splashing across his eyes. "Death. He tells me that I'm going to die. I'm already dying, Harry. W-with Ron, and, and Katie Bell, the dreams I've been having, all of it! I-I think I'm going mad!"

"Hermione," Harry muttered.

"I have dreams. I have been for months. All about you, and me, and Ron, Ginny, Luna, Voldemort, all of us! They're so real, it's like I'm really there! He told me they were visions of the future!"

"Hermione!" he yelled. She stopped short. "Come with me," he said.

"Where-?"

"The hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey needs to have a look at you."

"But, physically I'm fine-"

"Hermione, trust me!" he pleaded. "The only reason Voldemort could get into my head is because of his connection to me through my scar! He has to way to get to you!"

She began to protest, but a sharp pain in her head cut her off. Harry watched her groan in pain, horror in his eyes. He spoke slowly.

"Trust me, Hermione. Something is wrong."

**If you don't hate me for not updating, please review! 2OOth through the 210th reviewers will get their own special shout out! Love you all!**

***bows* Panneler-san**


	25. What’s Wrong With Me?

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**Enjoy this chapter!**

**If only I owned Harry Potter…..**

**But I don't. ;(**

What's Wrong With Me?

"So?"

Madam Pomfrey said nothing.

Hermione held her breath.

"So?" Harry repeated. "What is it?"

The elderly healer lowered her wand from its resting place on Hermione's head slowly, her tiny eyes wide, her lips pressed together remarkably like Professor McGonagall.

Hermione glanced at Harry when her silence continued.

It was three in the morning; their train was due to pick them up in six hours in Hogsmead Station. Dobby and Winky took it upon themselves to pack their suitcases for their suspension week. The luggage now rested in the corner beside the bed Hermione was sitting on.

It had taken Harry thirty minutes to convince his friend to tell Madam Pomfrey what had been happening to her. It took even longer for her to believe it.

She had run several tests, casting an odd green glow all around the room, giving her patient a red potion that turned her saliva blue, and many others. Now, she had tapped her wand to Hermione's head and muttered several incantations under her breath, closing her eyes.

Now she was staring at Hermione like she had never seen anything like her.

"Madam Pomfrey, what is it?" asked Harry.

She gulped. "You are not going home, Miss Granger." She whispered. "The second that train arrives, take it straight to St. Mungo's."

Harry paled. Hermione said nothing, but instead cast her eyes to Ron, who was sleeping in the bed right of her, unaware of what was happening. They waited for the healer to continue. And she did.

"You have a brain tumor."

Ron twitched. It was not a subtle movement. Harry bit the inside of his lip so hard it started to bleed. Hermione let out a breath.

"That's a Muggle diagnostic," she pointed out.

"I am Muggleborn myself, dear. I became a doctor before I became a healer," Madam Pomfrey said. "There is only one other wizard in the world that has the training I do, and he works in St. Mungo's. If anyone can get that tumor out of your head before it gets bigger without killing you, it's him."

"I have a brain tumor," said Hermione.

"That's what has been causing you to have these odd dreams. They're almost like hallucinations, but when you sleep. The tumor is also pressing on the hearing part of your brain. That's what is causing you to hear voices. Why He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named, I don't know."

Harry spoke up. "How dangerous is the tumor?" he asked. "How big is it?"

Madam Pomfrey frowned sadly. "It's about the size of an egg, and growing more every day. I don't want to frighten you, but I think it's only fair you know that your chances of survival are less than 30 percent. In short, Miss Granger, I'm afraid that even if the tumor is removed you may not live longer than five months."

Ron twitched again. Harry sat down on an empty bed and hid his face in his hands. Hermione said nothing.

The sun had never seemed so far away.

*

Draco woke to the sound of cheering and clapping. He groaned, rolled over, and got out of his four-poster. His mind was only on her. It was all he had dreamed about. He felt terrible.

Today, he decided. Today he would go talk to her. Tell her the truth. He had to.

"Draco, get down here!" called Blaise from the common room. Draco rolled his eyes and dressed before going down, trying to smooth out his bed head while he was at it.

"What is it?" he asked grumpily. He glanced at the notice board, where the day before he had ripped down the school newsletter, shocking everyone in Slytherin tower. But now everyone seemed to have forgotten.

"Great news!" shrieked Pansy, seizing Draco's arm with shocking force. "Something we've all been waiting for since we came to school!"

"What?" he asked. "What is it?!"

"The Mudblood, Granger, is dying!" someone yelled from the thong of students.

Draco swayed. Pansy's iron grip kept him from falling over. "What do you mean?" he managed to squeeze out.

"She has something called a 'Brain Tuber,' and its killing her!"

"Crabbe heard Madam Pomfrey talking to Professor Snape about it this morning!"

"She might as well not even come to school, anymore," chimed in a Slytherin fifth-year Draco had never liked. "Since she'll be dead sooner than later. She did get suspended yesterday."

"What!" yelled Draco. They stared at him. "When?"

"W-well, she should be getting on the train in about thirty minutes-" stuttered the fifth-year.

Draco bolted for the exit. No one stopped him. In just his socks and wrinkled robes he looked ridiculous running down the corridor. He couldn't think.

The doors to the grounds were before him, barring his way. He whipped out his wand, and instantly they swung open for him. He ran faster than he ever had in his whole life. Filch was standing next to the entrance by which several students were going to Hogsmead with special permission from Dumbledore.

He dashed past them, ignoring the caretaker's shouts for him to halt.

It twenty minutes he was in Hogsmead, shoeless, gasping for breath, and looking for Hermione like his life depended on it.

Her life did, after all.

The station was crowded, it being a Sunday. Draco pushed through the crowds with all his might. He counted the minutes in his head as he looked. Finally, the train came in sight. He dashed up to the nearest window and stood on his toes. With no one inside, he moved to the next compartment, and then the next.

Then the train began to pull away. "No!" he said. "No…"

A flash of brown met his eyes. He looked up. He saw a head of bushy brown hair fly past him. He didn't even think.

"Hermione!" he yelled, racing after it. Then she turned from behind the glass. Her brown eyes grew large.

Hermione opened the window quickly.

Draco shoved past two witches in long black cloaks. "Hermione!" he yelled again. "I didn't post the-"

He tripped. Hermione's face disappeared as the train continued into the distance.

"No!" He slammed his fist into the ground. She was gone. "Don't go," he whispered. "I don't want you to die."

*

"What is it, Hermione?" asked Harry. "Close the window; it's still cold outside."

Hermione was still staring at the spot Draco had vanished. She saw him talking, but the noise from the train was too loud for her to hear him. She closed the window slowly and sat down.

"Harry," she said.

He looked at her.

"How are we going to tell Ron?"

Harry looked down. "I don't know. We shouldn't."

"But he should know," she pressed. "Because, Harry! You and Ron – that's all I have left. If I die before I can see him again-"

"Stop it. You're not going to die," said Harry.

They fell silent. Several hours passed in which there was no conversation at all. Eventually the train began to slow down. Then Hermione spoke.

"Are you going to the Weasley's?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. I'm going to stay with you until our week is over. Then I'm going back to Hogwarts."

The train came to a stop, and Hermione grabbed her suitcase. "Thank you, Harry." She said. "I've been meaning to tell you for a while now, but I really appreciate everything you've done for me this year. With Ron, I mean."

Harry laughed. "He can be a real git, can't he?"

Hermione smiled faintly.

"But," said Harry, "He's always worried about you. Not even Lavender can distract him from that."

They got off the train and followed the familiar rout inside the fake shop and into St Mungo's. It seemed like in no time Hermione had been assigned to her ward and deemed an official patient. She never told anyone, but Voldemort's voice had been whispering in the back of her head the whole time.

Hermione wondered if this madness was really from the tumor or not. At this point, she wasn't too sure.

*

Several hundred miles away, Draco Malfoy burst into the Hospital Wing and strode straight up to Ronald Weasley's bed. Ron was awake, and staring at Draco for a lack of words.

Draco sat promptly down, the fire raging in his liquid silver eyes, and spoke. "We need to talk, Weasley."

**Review! Please! I'll love you forever!**


	26. Blank

**This story is making me loose sleep. Ah, sleep.**

** I remember sleep. I should try that again, sometime.**

** Don't own Harry Potter. Enjoy this chapter! This fic is slowly coming to a close!**

Blank

"Excuse me, Malfoy?"

"You heard me, Weasley."

There was silence in the Hospital Wing. Ron blinked, his mouth slightly ajar. Draco glared at him.

"You're lying," whispered Ron.

"Do I look like I'm lying?" sneered Draco.

"You hate her," said Ron.

Draco looked down. "I used to hate her. And because of how I feel now, I have a…favor to ask."

Ron, for a lack of anything better to do, laughed. "You? Have a favor to ask me? What?"

"I-"

Harry sighed for the fifty-sixth time.

Hermione had been in surgery for two hours. The Healer was a middle aged man who's name he didn't really pay attention to. He thought he was slightly cynical, and that made Harry not like him. But if he could save Hermione's life…

At least for now.

"It's done."

Harry jumped. The healer stood in front of him, smiling widely.

"Hermione," said Harry quickly.

The healer's smile widened. "She'll live longer than expected."

Harry laughed. "Yes!" he exclaimed.

The healer's smile fell slightly. "But," he said, "When I say longer than expected, I mean only by a month or two. The tumor was quite developed. Practically in it's last stage. We couldn't remove all of it."

Harry gulped. "How is she?" he asked.

"Sleeping. She should be awake by tomorrow. Muggle medicine is quite fascinating. After it is out of her system, we'll slowly switch to magic."

Harry nodded. He waited for the sun to rise.

The first thing Hermione noticed when she opened her eyes were Harry's emerald ones right in front of her.

"Woah!" she yelled, sitting bolt upright, smashing their heard together.

"Ouch!" Harry yelled.

"Merlin, Harry!" Hermione shrieked.

"What'd you sit up so suddenly for?"

"May I interrupt?"

The teenagers looked up. The Healer was staring at them.

"I need to run the tests before too much time passes, you see…"

"Er, right." said Harry.

"Please, go ahead," said Hermione.

The healer chuckled. The tests took about twenty minutes to complete. He asked her all sorts of questions about how she felt, and she responded promptly. The healer left the room to show the results to his supervisor. Harry was just asking her if she was hungry when an owl flew in through the open window.

"Oh!" said Hermione. The owl dropped it's parchment on her lap. Harry fed it some of his leftover breakfast and then it flew away as Hermione opened her letter.

She screamed.

"What?" yelled Harry.

"It-it!" she stuttered.

"Hermione, what is it?"

"I!" she took a deep breath, holding the letter out to her friend. "I missed _six points _on our last test! Harry, what am I going to do?"

Harry blinked. The results of the written charms test loomed before him. He burst out laughing.

"This is not funny!" she shrieked.

"It's brilliant!" he said. "You're back to normal, Hermione!"

"I," she said, "I…Out! Get out! I need to figure out what I did wrong, so leave! You're distracting me!"

Harry practically skipped out of the room, laughing his head off. Hermione shrieked in frustration.

"At least I'll be left in quiet peace until I go back to Hogwarts!" she said. "That stupid tumor is gone, so… So I…"

_…Something wrong, Granger?_

One Week Later

Hogwarts loomed before them. Harry smiled at seeing the castle, but Hermione did not. As she walked to the gate where Filch would check them back in, her hand slowly made its way to the back of her head, where a tiny scar was hidden beneath her shorter but bushy as ever hair.

She remembered that the doctor with the name she couldn't pronounce had told her to see Madam Pomfrey about removing the scar in a month.

Filch wheezed as if he was out of breath at the gate, eying them suspiciously. He led them back up the steps to the great double doors. Hermione saw Filch roll his eyes before opening the doors.

A huge blast of noise greeted them. "AH!" screamed Hermione as Harry jumped.

What seemed like nearly all of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff were waiting for them, holding some old, leftover Christmas crackers from the holidays and several large red and gold banners.

Two people looped their arms around Hermione's and dragged her into the fray.

"Well, lovely to see you, 'Mione, lovely, just lovely," said George.

"Precisely my words, brother George!" said Fred. "We took the day off at Weasley Wizards Wheezes just to see you back!"

"And it seems that our dear brother Ronald is out of the Hospital wing, too, so we thought we'd kill two Hippogriffs with one Killing curse and check up on him, as well!"

Several other hands grabbed the front of her robes and pulled her away from the twins and into a thicker part of the mass of students.

"Congrats, Granger!" grinned Dean and Sean. "We were really shocked to her you were sick, but you got over it alright in the end!"

More hands pulled her deeper. "About the six points, Miss Granger," said the tiny Flitwick, "Don't worry about it. I've known your brilliance for so long that it wouldn't even matter at this point if you missed one hundred points, you've gotten so much extra credit…"

She was pulled deeper. "Mione!" yelled Hagrid, "Yeh need ter come 'n visit me more often, understand? I've been worried sick over yeh!"

She was pulled left. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

She was pulled right. "You fought that tuber real easy!"

She was pulled forward. "We knew you'd be okay!"

She was pulled back. "Were through."

She blinked. Draco didn't.

"I never want to talk to you again. I hate you. Understand, Mudblood?"

Hermione stared at Draco as he turned and walked away into the thong of blue, yellow, and red until his solitary green vanished entirely. The Great Hall started to spin around her. The solid floor beneath her feet turned to jelly. The loud voices of the other students seemed to turn into a buzzing.

As her legs gave way and her eyes closed from the expected impact on her bones on the ground, she heard a voice.

_There, now. It's almost over…._


	27. Sectrumsempra

**It has been a very VERY long time. I apologize for having VERY slow fingers. Don't own the books, movies, posters, actors, Daniel Radcliff, etc, etc.**

**IMPORTANT! I'm trying a chapter from first person. Please tell me if you like it, think it's weird, hate it, think it stinks like cod fish and feet, anything. THANKS!**

**ENJOY! (And review!)**

Sectrumsempra

Someone caught me before I hit the floor. But I wasn't conscious long enough to figure out who.

What felt like two seconds later, I was being shook awake by…

Someone?

"Hey," they whispered. "Get up."

My surroundings were dark. I groaned as I sat up, inhaling a bunch of dust. I coughed violently and rubbed my eyes.

"Get up." the voice repeated. I thought I spied red…

The dust left my lungs after a few more hacks. I licked my lips, realizing how dry they were. My head was throbbing.

"Open your eyes."

I groaned. I didn't want to.

"Hermione…"

Then I recognized the voice. In spirit of old habit, my heartbeat skipped. Then slowly sped up. I forced my eyes to see, even though they stayed half-glued shut from several hours of sleep. "Ron," I whispered.

"Is it true?" he asked quietly. I couldn't see his face clearly. Either my glazed eyes or him hiding his expression was at fault.

"What?" I asked.

"Don't." he said. "Stop. Just stop. Ginny told me everything."

I froze. The blood drained from my cheeks. I felt pale. "Ron,"

He grabbed the back of my neck and crushed his lips against mine with force I did not know he possessed. I realized what he was doing. I panicked.

Protesting as frantically as I could, I squealed, weakly pushing and beating on his chest with the sides of my fists. I knew what he was doing.

And I didn't like it.

Ron would not let go. In my shock and near-horror, I felt his tongue slide softly across my bottom lip that I kept firmly shut.

"NO!" I screamed, finally managing to push him away from me. Then I slapped him with all my might.

Silence filled our ears like a gunshot. My breathing slowed as Ron and I sat there. He wouldn't look at me, yet I was staring at him with wide eyes.

He stood, causing the bed – we were in one of the dormitories of the Gryffindor towers, I realized – to creak. It was dark outside, and the room was completely unoccupied except for us. We were the only things that breathed.

"There was a time." he said quietly, his voice sounding very loud in the otherwise dead silent space. "There was a time when I'm sure you would have liked me kissing you. That was the second time."

I could say nothing. Ron didn't look at me.

He tilted his head up to the dark window in the corner, back to me. "I honestly didn't believe it when he told me. I couldn't believe it. It was some sick joke."

I noticed his tone started to change. His words got faster and closer together as his volume rose.

"Him, I could someday understand. After lots of convincing. But you, Hermione, you're just too much. You know, I could have understood Harry. Merlin knows there were times when I was sure you did. I could cope with any bloke. I'd even accept Krum or _Cormac! _But of _every single _horrible guy out there, of ALL OF THEM, you had to choose _him_, didn't you? YOU HAD TO CHOOSE MALFOY!"

"Ron," I whispered, "Ron, please just calm down-!"

"WOULD YOU BLOODY BE CALM?" he bellowed. "WHY, HERMIONE? HOW COULD YOU?"

There was an explosion somewhere below us. Quite literally.

BOOM!

We jumped. Three seconds passed.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Shuffle, a few, muffled shouts, the sound of furniture being blasted onto the floor, then a very loud and recognizable "WHERE IS GRANGER!"

I couldn't be any more shocked than I already was. I heard McGonagall's voice, slightly muffled by the shouts of others, say, " What is the meaning of this? How dare you! Return to your common room immediately!"

"NOT UNTIL I TALK TO GRANGER!" the voice roared.

Footsteps slammed up the stairs. I was frozen in terror. Suddenly, a face appeared, followed by a body.

It was Pansy Parkinson.

"GRANGER!" she screamed.

Tears were streaming down her face, her eyes red, cheeks flushed, hair very messy. She looked horrible.

"YOU GET YOUR _ARSE _DOWN TO THE HOSPITAL WING BEFORE I HAVE TO KICK IT THERE!"

"W-why-?" I gasped.

Pansy glared at me. Then her eyes filled with pure sorrow. "It's all your fault!" she sobbed. "It's because of you and Potter that this whole thing happened! Because of you and Potter, Draco is-!"

I jumped up. "What?" I said. She just sobbed. "What is it, Pansy?" I screeched.

"Draco is _dying_!"

There is no way to explain the feeling that came over me. Numbness would best describe it. Because for what felt like the longest time, I couldn't feel anything. Countless times I had been told I would die. So many that it hardly scared me anymore. But now…

"Go," Pansy whispered. "Go! He keeps calling for you, I don't know if he's even conscious, just go! GO!"

I stumbled toward the door. Ron grabbed my hand. I looked at him. His face was blank.

"If you go to him now," he said quietly, "Then we're really over, Harry or no."

I tugged just the slightest bit and my fingers slid from his grasp. I left. Pansy followed me.

"Granger," she said. I paused. "Draco didn't write that article about you and Potter. He had nothing to do with it. It…it was me."

I stayed silent.

"I…read about it in his diary. Everything about what happened between you two. I stole it from him. I don't know why I'm telling you about this, but, I think you're the one Draco needs right now. He said he hates you, but… Just please, hurry."

It was then that I got the feeling back in my legs, hands, heart, everything. It was like I had woken up after a very long sleep. I realized everything that had just been said.

I ran.

It was the only thing I could do.


	28. No Matter What

**I do not own Harry Potter although I wish I DID!**

**I'm doing another chapter from first person. This will most likely be the last one in first person unless someone tells me to keep doing it…..**

**Read on.**

No Matter What

I burst through the doors to the Hospital wing. My eyes were peeled for Draco. I saw someone else instead.

"Harry!" I called in surprise. Then I looked down at the bed he was sitting next to. It was Draco, covered in what looked like cuts from a knife. I gasped quietly and threw my hands over my mouth. "What happened?" I whispered.

"Sit down," said Harry quietly. "I'll tell you."

I sat as fast as possible. Why was Harry here?

"I found him in the bathroom," Harry explained. "I heard someone crying. Moaning Myrtle was with him. When he saw me, he pulled out his wand. I had to defend myself, Hermione."

"You did this?" I asked. "Harry, where did you find such…dark magic?"

"It was in that Potions book that the Half-Blood Prince wrote on." he said.

"I-! I thought you were going to throw that away!" I stuttered.

"Ron convinced me not to," he said.

I clenched my teeth. "Could you…leave me alone for a minute?"

Silently Harry stood and walked over to the large double doors. Before he went out, he paused. "Hermione," he said, "I know you're hiding something from me. I know it has something to do with Malfoy. You don't have to tell me now, but…You're my best mate. You can trust me."

"…Thank you, Harry."

He left. Once I heard the doors close, I sighed.

"You can stop pretending to sleep, Draco. He's gone."

Draco opened his eyes reluctantly, wincing in pain. I flinched. He wouldn't look at me. "How did you know?" he asked.

"I know you," I said. "You're not the type to fall asleep in the hospital wing."

Draco sat up stiffly. Some fresh blood from a cut on his face rolled down his mangled face. He looked out the window that showed the Hufflepuff Quidditch team practicing for their game against Slytherin. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" he asked. "Sitting here, covered in blood and cuts, you next to me. It's almost the exact same situation as when the glass orbs fell on top of me in the Room of Requirement. You saved my life then."

I shook my head. "No," I said. "You saved mine."

He frowned and looked at me. Our eyes met for the first time in weeks. I didn't dare to blink. "Granger, I thought I told you that they want me to kill you," he said. "Why are you still hanging around me then? I could kill you right now."

"Yes, you could. But you won't."

"How do you _know_?" he asked in frustration. "Why are you always so certain that I have good in me? You don't know what I'm planning, you have no idea what I've been using you for, and you don't have a clue why all this is happening, so how can you know?"

"Because I saw it in your eyes!" I shouted. "I can tell when you're lying to me, Draco Malfoy. You had pretty good acting when you told me you hated me this morning, but Pansy came and told me herself that it was a lie!"

Draco slammed his fist against the bedrail. "I'm going to murder that girl," he hissed. "She swore she wouldn't say anything!"

"See?" I said. "It was a lie, all of it! You love me, Draco, I know you do!"

He didn't say a word. His molten silver eyes drifted away from mine. I gulped.

"And," I whispered, "I love you too. I don't care who finds out. I don't care who stops us. I just want you."

Draco blinked. "I have an order for you," he said. "You are still my servant, anyway, even if Pansy did publish the article."

I nodded, waiting for him to speak. "I'll do anything,"

"Kiss me. And this time kiss me before anyone can come bursting into the room."

I smiled slightly, leaning forward. "See?" I whispered. "You do love me."

It had been so long since I had kissed him. It felt like years. I finally managed to kiss him before we could be interrupted again. But I only managed to kiss him once before he took over. Somehow, my head swam, and when I gathered my senses back, Draco had flipped me over so that I was underneath him on the hospital wing bed.

I slid my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. I felt him smile.

"Hermione," he murmured. "We have to stop seeing each other."

I froze. Draco pulled away.

"I know I can't pretend to hate you. But I won't kill you, either. It seems like I'm going to die, either way." He gave a harsh laugh. "The Dark Lord will kill me if I don't finish my task, and I'll automatically die if I don't kill you three days after finishing it."

"Don't talk like that," I said. "I thought I was going to die. I kept it secret from you all this time, but I'll tell you now. You know about the tumor?"

He nodded.

"I had hallucinations. Dreams, visions, whatever, I had them all. I could hear Voldemort's voice in my head, every single day, _you are going to die, you are going to die…_ Neither can live without the other, Neither can live while the other survives. That's what he told me."

"What do you mean, he told you?"

"When we went to Hogsmead. I was under the Imperious curse. I…met him. It was so terrifying…" I closed my eyes, remembering that horrible face. His eyes. "He told me he had been giving me the visions. Then I found out about the tumor. It was a bit off. How could he know I had these dreams if they were caused by a tumor? I still don't know what's going on, but…"

Draco grabbed my hand. I sat up and wouldn't look at him.

"Something's coming. I can feel it. And whatever it is, I want to face it with you. Neither of us will die. I'll make sure of it."

_You WILL die. Aren't you going to tell him that I haven't disappeared yet? Oh, I see. You want to keep it secret. Good luck._

I gulped. This madness would never end.

"Then this has to be secret," he said. "Hermione, we can't let anyone else find out about this. Not Potter, or the Dark Lord, no one. They can't know."

"No, they can't."

"Hermione! Big news!" said Harry when I got back to the common room.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I just had another meeting with Dumbledore, and he said I could tell you and Ron what he told me!"

I followed Harry to the corner of the common room where Ron was waiting. I avoided looking at him, and he avoided looking at me. I felt guilty. And I didn't know why.

"I know how to defeat Voldemort."

I blinked. Ron's elbow slipped off the armrest of the chair he was sitting on. Harry grinned at out reactions.

"He has these things called Horcruxes. They're fragments of his soul. If we can destroy them all, then we can destroy Voldemort. What happened to Dumbledore's hand – why its black – is because he destroyed one not being too careful. And I've already destroyed one-"

"Which one?" Ron asked.

"Riddle's diary, in second year," he said. "It was one of them."

"How many are there?" I asked.

"We think there might be six,"

"So two down, eh?" said Ron, smiling for the first time in what seemed like years. "That's fantastic, Harry!"

"Yes, and Dumbledore said he might know where one is."

"Oh, Merlin," I said. "Harry, we might finally be able to end it! After all these years!"

"I know," he said, smiling hugely. "He also said that he would take me with him. And I asked if you two could come with me."

My face split into a grin. I felt tears of pure joy stream down my face. "We can help end it!" I said.

"Brilliant," said Ron.

"It's only been six years, but it feels much longer, doesn't it?" I said, wiping my tears away.

Harry nodded. "I know what you mean." he said. "Thanks. For sticking with me."

I beamed. "Always."

"No matter what," promised Ron.

"Hermione," said Harry, "I'm sorry for not listening to you. I hid the book somewhere that I'll probably never be able to find it again."

"Thank you, Harry."

"No matter what," he said, "We have to stick together from now on. Everything depends on us."

"No matter what," said Ron.

I nodded happily, thinking of everything that had happened this whole year. Every heartache, lie, tear, smile, all of it. "We have to stop him." I whispered. "No matter what."

**I feel like this chapter is boring, for some reason. But hey, Draco and Hermione finally made up! Yay! I'm estimating this fic has five to seven-ish chapters left. If there is something you want to see happen, as an extra chapter type thing, please feel free to PM me with your idea.**

** Please review! I love reviews! And people who review are cool, too.**

** If everyone who read this chapter could review, it might make me publish chapters faster…..**

** *bows* Panneler-san**


	29. Detention

**I'm getting' REAL sick of these disclaimers. It is so obvious that I am not JK Rowling. I mean, next to her, my story is like a freakin whale wrote it.**

**KIDDING!**

**Read on, O great ones.**

Detention

Hermione Gasped.

Ron and Harry jumped. "What?" they asked.

"I-I'd completely forgotten!" she gasped. "I have detention with Snape!"

"Huh?" said Ron.

"That's right!" said Harry, slapping his hand to his forehead. "I'd forgotten, I have it, too! For the Malfoy thing, I mean…"

"You have detention?" asked Ron, smirking.

"Oh, shut up, Ron!" she hissed, jumping up from the chair and adjusting her robes. "Harry, what time is it?"

"Should be almost nine," he said.

Hermione swore very loudly (a trait she had borrowed from Draco) causing both boys to stare at her with their jaws hanging by the hinges. "I'll see you later," she said, and rushed out the Portrait hole, knocking a few first years out of her way as she went, Harry hot on her trail.

Snape's office wasn't too hard to reach, although she did almost forget to jump the trick step at the bottom of the staircase. She arrived at the big, heavy wooden door out of breath, praying she wasn't late. Hand trembling, she knocked.

"Come in," Snape's voice said from beyond the door.

Hermione exhaled, trying to calm her breathing before she entered the office.

"You are extremely lucky," said Snape from behind his desk. "You had three seconds before you would be late. Potter, wait here for my instruction, Miss Granger, follow me."

He led her to the storage room where everything was in disarray and utter chaos. Just looking at it made her want to fix it.

Hermione briefly wondered why Snape had all these potion ingredients, seeing as he was no longer the Potions Master, but decided against asking him. He would probably have extended her detentions by three years if she had.

"Organize everything according to its properties, usage, and in alphabetical order. You may not leave till everything is done. No wands." With that, Snape left. Hermione listened to the instructions he gave Harry before setting to work.

It was easy, because she was Hermione Granger. Neatness was her forte, after all. Somewhere in between putting the Boomslang Skin on the right shelf and trying to find a foot stool, Hermione spotted something odd.

It was hiding behind a jar with white powder in it labeled "Crushed Hippogriff Talon". Small, brown, thin, it was a paper package with three words scrawled on it:

Bring them Back

Hermione's eyebrows knitted together. Bring who back? She grabbed it, carefully moving aside the jar in front of it. She turned it over and over in her hands, looking for more writing, letters, numbers, anything. But there were none.

"Miss Granger,"

She jumped, spinning around, shoving the package into the back of her robe pocket. "Y-yes?"

Snape looked at her suspiciously. His cold black eyes then scanned the walls of the room. "You're done for the day," he said. "Same time tomorrow."

"Yes, professor," she said, racing out of the room. Harry was waiting for her outside the office.

"Finally," he sighed. "I was wondering how much longer you were going to stand in that room."

She shrugged, fingering the package in her pocket. "It must be really late," she said.

"Almost midnight,"

"We won't get in trouble," she said. "I had the good sense to wear my Prefect badge this morning."

Harry smiled. They began to walk. "Hermione," he said softly. "I've been wondering. It's been a few days since your surgery. Are you still…you know… Hearing Voldemort?"

Hermione smiled kindly at her friend. "No," she lied. "He's completely gone."

_Oh, you bad girl. Lying right to the face of your best friend. But you have been lying an awful lot lately…_

"That's good," he sighed. "I'm really worried about you, Hermione. This whole year has been something of a bad luck charm for you, hasn't it? With the Katie Bell thing, then you going missing, your brain tumor, it's been a mess."

She laughed. "I know what you mean!" she chortled. "And Ron's being an awful git, too,"

"What'd he do?" Harry asked.

"He's just being so clingy!"

They talked about Ron all the way back to the common room, where the fire was slowly dying. Ron was nowhere to be seen. They took the chairs in front of the fire, neither one feeling like sleeping just yet.

After an hour, everyone else had gone to bed, Hermione took the opportunity to ask a question. "Harry," she said, "What do you think about the Horcruxes?"

"Honestly? They're vile. I can't believe anyone would be sick enough to create one." Harry frowned deeply, as if not even Voldemort was evil enough.

"How do you make a Horcrux?" she asked. "Did Dumbledore tell you?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Slughorn did."

She blinked. "What?"

"It was in his memory," he explained. "He was teaching when Tom Riddle was a student there. He asked Slughorn about them. Took me a bloody large bit of persuasion to get the memory out of him, though!"

"What did they say?" she asked.

"Not much," he admitted. "But I got the bit of it. Basically, you need to kill."

The air seemed to freeze around them. Hermione gulped.

"Murder is the only thing that can rip a man's soul, make it no longer pure. Damage it. He ripped his soul so many times."

"Just one is horrific enough, but _six_?" she whispered.

"I know." said Harry. "It's disgusting."

They fell into silence, staring at the remaining embers in the hearth. Hermione felt sick. She closed her eyes, thinking. What did an object possessed by a Horcrux look like? Was it still the same?

Or was there something different about it?

If it contained Voldemort's soul, it must feel pretty evil, she thought. Who knew? She couldn't quite remember what the diary looked like. She could only remember that Harry told her about how it had possessed Ginny. Could any Horcrux do that?

Something already possessed get into someone else head…

Hermione opened her eyes, expecting to see the fire.

Instead there was a head.

"AHHHH!"

"WHAT?" yelled Harry, who had begun to doze off.

"It!" she stuttered, pointing to the fire. Harry turned his head. Then he turned it back.

"What is it?"

"But… Can't you…?"

"Can I what? Hermione, there's nothing there!"

"But Harry, it-!"

"_What?_"

"It's Sirius!"

**I SERIOUSLY DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. DON'T GET MAD. PLEAESE.**

** I just got a REAAAAALY good idea!**

**SO REVIEW!**

** I BEG OF YOOOOOU!**

***begging***

**Pan-tan**


	30. And Then It Fell Apart

**Don't own Harry Potter. Tragic.**

**I hope that no one hates me TOO much for the last randomness. First, some things to clear up:**

** YES. Sirius is dead. He died in book five, so I hope you can understand why Hermione is freaking out so much.**

** Err…That's it, actually.**

** IT'S STARTING TO UNFOLD! AHHHHHHH!**

And Then It Fell Apart

Hermione cried. She sat huddled in the corner of the last stall in the girl's toilet, her knees drawn up to her chest, her head down. She was shaking. How could this be happening to her? Her whole life, gone in moments.

And it was all her fault.

Twenty-Three Hours Earlier

"It's Sirius!"

A blank look splashed across Harry's face. Hermione couldn't take her eyes off of Sirius's face. He was staring at her, no expression in his eyes. Why wouldn't he say anything? Why did he remain silent?

"Hermione," whispered Harry.

"He's there, Harry!" she yelled. "I can see him! Just look, damn it, _look_!"

"Hermione, calm down," he whispered.

"How can I?" she screeched. "Harry, I don't know what's wrong with your eyes, but he is _right there_, I can see him! I can see-!"

_It's just an illusion, after all,_

Hermione froze.

_He's not really there. I'm just messing with you._

She snapped.

Hermione screamed, sinking down onto all fours, shaking her head like mad. "Get out!" she yelled. "Get out, get out, get out, get out, GET OUT!"

_Why would I do that? I enjoy your company so much. Say hi to Harry Potter for me, will you?_

"Harry, help me!" she begged.

He just stared.

"Harry, get him out. Get him out! _I want him out of my head_!"

Laughter filled her ears. High, cold, merciless laughter. All Harry could do was stare.

_Be sure that you're ready for the next wave, friend of Harry Potter. I'm not sure if your sanity could take it._

The portrait hole burst open while Hermione was still screaming. Several different people came running in.

"Mr. Potter, step back," someone said.

"What happened to her?" asked another.

There was a flash of light, and she fell unconscious. The last thing that Hermione saw before she fell asleep was the fireplace.

And it was empty.

An Unpleasant Situation

"Now is not the time to tell her, Albus,"

"Then when shall we ever tell her, Minerva? Harry, I can understand your shock at this, but trust me, I know exactly what is happening to her. She will be fine."

"Sir, please tell me what's going on! Is she still sick?"

"Well, Albus? I think you've kept this from us for too long."

"Very well. In a way, she will be like this for the rest of her life. Nothing can cure her."

Hermione felt stiff. Her hearing buzzed in and out of range of the conversation. What was happening? Slowly she opened her eyes.

She was in Dumbledore's office. "Harry?" she whispered, seeing his face.

His head snapped to her. "Hermione!"

She sat up. She had been laid on a bed that someone had conjured. Professor McGonagall as well as Dumbledore himself also sat in to room, all staring at her.

"How do you feel?" Harry pressed.

She said nothing.

"Miss Granger," said McGonagall, "Professor Dumbledore wishes me to tell you now, rather than later. It's…only fair to you, I suppose,"

Harry averted his eyes. Dumbledore shuffled his hands neatly on top of his desk.

Hermione gulped. "What-what is it?"

"Your parents…"

She couldn't hear the next words that the professor said, but she could feel them. And then it fell apart. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She did nothing. Because the Voldemort in her head was doing all the rest for her; Laughing.

"The Dark mark was placed above their house a little less than an hour ago. I'm so sorry," added McGonagall.

An hour passed in almost complete silence in which the two Professors conversed quietly. Harry gripped her hand and held on tight. Twenty minutes into the silence, Professor McGonagall stood up and left, returning thirty minutes later with Ron, Ginny, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom, all in their pajamas and yawning.

One look at Hermione's face and the silence continued for ten more minutes. Then Dumbledore Spoke.

"I'm sure that you are all wondering as to why I have called you here this night. The fact is, I have somewhere I need you to come with me. All of you," he added at Neville's uncertain glance at Luna.

"Professor," breathed Harry, "You can't mean…"

"I do," he responded firmly. "Minerva, remember what I told you."

"Yes, Albus," she nodded, backing back out of the door.

"What's going on?" demanded Ginny.

"We're going," said Harry. "To kill Voldemort."

"Are you okay?" Ron asked Hermione in a low voice as Dumbledore led them down the familiar path to Hogsmead.

They walked at the back of the small formation of students, Hermione like a zombie. "Not really." She whispered.

"What's up?"

"My parents, they… The Dark Mark's above my house."

"Hermione," Ron said, "About this morning. I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me, really. Just hearing about you and Malfoy…I went mental."

"How's Lavender?" she asked abruptly.

Ron looked at the road under his feet. "I broke up with her," he said. "Because I-"

He never finished the sentence, but he didn't have to. They both knew what she was thinking. "I'm sorry, Ron. But I can't."

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I know."

Suddenly, Dumbledore stopped. "Oh, Madam Rosmerta," he said. "Remarkable to see you here,"

"Where are you going, sir?" the woman asked, shuffling her feet in the cold night air.

"Just to the Hogshead, for a drink."

"Are you going alone, then?" she asked, blinking hard, as if to see anyone else.

The six students glanced at each other. Hermione was surprised to find that she couldn't see Ron anymore, nor any of the others. She looked down at her hands, and saw only the ground beneath her.

"Indeed," said Dumbledore. "Well, good night, then,"

He walked on. Hermione followed him blindly. She couldn't help but wonder at when the old man had made the rest of them invisible. Once they were outside the village, five more bodies appeared in her eyes.

"Okay, that was bloody weird," said Ron.

"Listen to me," said Dumbledore, "If you are going to come with me, then you must do everything that I say. If I tell you to run, run. If I tell you to hide, hide. If I tell you to leave me behind and get out, I expect you to do so. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir," they mumbled.

"But sir," said Luna, "Why did you bring us?"

"I hoped it would bring back memories," he said, winking.

Harry grabbed Dumbledore's arm. Ginny then grabbed his, Ron hers, Hermione his, followed by Neville and Luna.

"Are we ready?" asked the Professor. "Hang on tight."

He turned on the spot, and the world whizzed by them.

The next second, Hermione blinked. They were facing the vast, angry ocean on the top of a cliff. Hermione gasped.

"What is it?" asked Ron.

"It's here," she whispered.

"Hermione?" asked Harry.

She turned to face him. "This is where I had one of my visions."

**Climax is approaching. Even I'm starting to freak out, and I'm the one writing it!**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! They'll make me write much faster!**

** And I know, there was like, NO DRACO! Sorry! It'll be that way for the next small bit…**

**Pan-tan**


	31. The Dark Lord's Rage

**My internet was down. Sorry it took SO FRIDICKIN' LONG!**

**No ownage claimed.**

**Party on while you're still young.**

The Dark Lord's Rage

"Wh-what happened…exactly?" asked Ron.

"Don't tell us," snapped Harry. "Those dreams were just what Voldemort-"

Ron, Luna, and Neville winced.

"-wanted you to see. Whatever happened in your dream was fake."

"Wait," said Ginny, "Are you talking about the dreams Hermione's been getting since she and Malfoy started-"

"GINNY!" Hermione screamed.

Harry blinked. Ron's face flushed and he clenched his hands so hard they turned white. Neville and Luna appeared to be paying more attention to the huge rock cliff with the raging sea rather than the conversation.

"What'd you mean?" said Harry.

"Er, nothing, nothing!" Ginny hastily covered.

"Yes, nothing!" said Hermione, smiling with false brightness. "She didn't mean anything, _didn't you Ginny!_"

"May I suggest that we continue onward?" ventured Dumbledore, gesturing to the cliff with his blackened hand.

All the heads turned to the cliff. Neville gulped.

"How are we to get down?" Luna asked in her dreamy voice.

"And get down to where?" Ginny mumbled. "A watery grave?"

"Our destination," said Dumbledore, "is there. Just beyond that big rock."

"The cave?" asked Ron.

Harry gasped. "Sir, is that the cave that-?"

"Oh, no," whispered Hermione. Her face was pale, her whole body shaking. Everyone looked at her.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"This place…" she said. "Everything about this place…It feels like…"

_You know everything that is going to happen._

"Like something's wrong…"

_Like you know you will be abandoned._

"Just looking at it feels like…"

_You know everyone will die._

"Like this place is overflowing with evil…"

_Including you._

"I suggest that we really _do_ keep moving," said Dumbledore. "The tide will only get higher, and we need to get in and out of that cave before the whole thing can be filled with water."

"So let's climb down," said Luna.

"Be careful," said Neville deadly seriously. "I don't want to have to dive in and save anyone's hide."

After a short silence, Harry laughed. Ron snorted loudly, and it set everyone off. The sheer thought of Neville diving into the ocean to save someone had broken the tension that had befallen everyone.

_I don't understand, _Voldemort whispered in fury. _How can you still laugh, friend of Harry Potter?_

"Do expect to get a little wet, Mr. Longbottom," said Dumbledore.

"Great," he muttered above the laughing.

The high spirit did not last long. After a brief debate as to who should begin the decent down the cliff, Ginny dully noted that while the rest of them had been squabbling, Luna had already climbed half-way down.

Harry followed Luna, and Hermione follow him, biting her lip in concentration. Harry and Luna were on a shallow space several feet below her head. Harry had jumped to get to the ledge, and Luna had dropped herself onto it. The rock was slippery and wet, and the raging sea sprayed all over the cliff face.

"This ocean," said Hermione, preparing to jump to the lower ledge, "It's almost as if all of Voldemort's rage has been piled in it." She jumped.

_Have fun with the fish._

Her landing didn't go as planned.

She felt her feet slip from the rocky ledge. In a frantic attempt to balance herself, she became even more unstable than before. The cloudy sky flashed before her eyes as she fell backward.

"Hermione!" yelled Harry as she hit the water. She was sinking. Slowly drifting deeper into the ocean. Then her head broke the surface of the water. She gasped in the air, frantically working her arms to stay afloat.

It was going to happen, she realized. Everything Voldemort had whispered, everything Draco had warned her about. It was happening here, now.

Draco had been right. Play with fire, you get burned. Swim in water, you drown. Attempt to rebel against Voldemort and you would die.

_You are going to die. But I suppose you already knew that._

"_No_!" she screamed. "Shut _up_! This is _my life_! What fate? What destiny? I'm fed up with you! I make my own path!"

There were several splashes beside her. After a few seconds, Harry and Ron's heads popped out of the water.

"Hermione!" said Ron, holding out his hand. She took it, placing the other in Harry's, and they swam against the current to the cave. Exhausted, Hermione rolled onto her back on the dirty rock floor, breathing heavily.

"Where's…the others?" she gasped.

"Here," called Ginny's voice from the mouth of the cave. "You would not _believe_ how annoying that swim was,"

Hermione sat up. Dumbledore was charming his robes so that they wrung themselves dry, and readjusted his half-moon spectacles on his long, crooked nose.

Neville was panting, leaning against the side of the cave entrance, not used to the exercise.

Luna, although it didn't make much sense, wasn't wet at all. Her robes and hair were bone dry. Hermione made a mental note to ask her about it later.

_They look very…not dry, _said Voldemort.

Hermione snorted. "That's because they aren't, you half-wit." she mumbled, brushing off the other's curious looks. Then it dawned on her. "Wait, how did you know…? Oh, Merlin."

"What's wrong?" asked Harry, shaking the sea out of his hair.

"I'm a fool," she whispered angrily, closing her eyes. "I'm such a big idiot! How could I not have seen this before?"

"What?"

"Harry," she said, "He can see you. He can _see_ you! All this time, he could see everything I was doing, everything you were doing! And he was giving me clues, too! Subtle hints, but I was too big of a fool to have seen this sooner!"

"Wait, what's going on?"

"I feared something like this would happen," said Dumbledore. "Miss Granger, although I know you are very bright and have most likely thought of this already, I think it best for you not to open your eyes at present. I am also to blame."

"Hold on!" said Harry. "I don't get what's happening!"

"It's Voldemort, Harry!" Hermione cried, her voice echoing into the depths of the cave. "Ever since I disappeared, he's seen what I've seen, heard what I've heard, felt what I've felt. That means he knows where we are right now! That means he knows that the Castle isn't protected! I don't know what a Horcrux looks like, but you better hurry up and find it!"

"Let's go," said Ron, not wasting time. "Harry, Professor, Luna, Neville, go look for the Horcrux. Ginny and I'll stay with 'Mione and make sure nothing happens to her."

"Whatever happens, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore, "Do not let that girl open her eyes. As long as her eyes are closed, Voldemort will not know where she is. This cave could already be crawling with Death Eaters. We must be cautious."

"Best to keep wands out," said Neville. There was a general shuffling that indicated wands were being removed from robe pockets.

"You'd better go," said Hermione. "And quickly. Give us a shout if you need us."

After several minutes, the sound of their footsteps died away. Ron exhaled. "Look," he sighed, "If anything happens to them, I might have to go help. But Ginny'll stay with you."

"Of course I will!" she said. "Hermione is my best friend. I wouldn't abandon her."

The silence was drawn out longer and longer after that. It seemed to Hermione that it stretched on for hours and hours. What was happening? Were they all right?

There was a high-pitched scream that echoed shrilly from inside the cave. Hermione froze.

"That," she whispered.

"It sounded like," said Ron.

"Luna," groaned Ginny.

"Stay here!" yelled Ron. "D'you hear me, Ginny? No matter what happens, don't you dare leave her here, got it?"

"Wait, Ron!" Ginny yelled after the fast fading footsteps of her brother.

"Where did he go?" Hermione asked in a panic.

"That idiot!" she hissed. "Rushing straight into the cave like that, who knows how many Death Eaters are already here! He never stops to see his threat!"

"Ginny?" asked Hermione.

"I'm sorry," said Ginny. "I'm really sorry, Hermione. But I've got to go get him before he kills himself. I _promise_ I'll be right back. Don't open your eyes."

And then she was gone.

"Ginny!" Hermione screamed. She felt like she was drowning again. Drowning in the darkness. "Ginny, wait, come back!"

_Heh. Abandoned by your friends._

"Don't you start with me!" Hermione hissed. "I thought I told you to shut up!"

_Your parents murdered, your best friends leaving you? And yet you feel nothing? Miss Granger, _"What could possibly be going through your mind right now?"

Her blood ran cold. For the first time in a long time, she was paralyzed with fear. Her eyes itched to be opened. Her breath hitched.

"Oh, and," said Voldemort, "You would be right in thinking I'm right behind you."

_So let the Dark Lord's rage begin._

**A little on the dramatic side, dontcha think? Well, I WAS in a depressing mood when I wrote this chapter…**

**Anyway, I would like to hear your thoughts! So….**

**REVIEW, DANG IT.**

**Panneler-san**


	32. Inferi

**Um, I could say that I owned Harry Potter, but then everyone would sue me and it would rebuke me into a hermit-type lifestyle that would crush my hopes and dreams of becoming a novelist and moving to Japan, so I'll just stick with no ownage.**

**ANYway, next chapter. OMG!**

**Enjoy.**

Inferi

Draco knew what he had to do. And he knew that he had to do it. For Hermione's sake. For his sake.

_For everyones' sake, _he thought.

It was early in the morning that he slipped out of his bed in the Hospital wing, fully healed, with only one scar from the curse spell, lingering on the back of his shoulder. He silenced the door that led to Madam Pomfrey's office, then headed out of the doors.

His trek to the Room of Requirement went smoothly and unnoticed, just as he'd hoped. Walking three times past a blank stretch of wall, he thought, _I need to go to the place where everything is hidden. The place the Vanishing cabinet is hidden…_

Draco grasped the brass door handle that had suddenly appeared and pulled hard. Before him lay the room full of junk. Briefly, he remembered all the time he had spent in there alone. Then he recalled all the many, many hours he had spent in there with her.

Walking past two red velvet chairs squished into the corner, Draco remembered the time she and him had sat in those chairs, revealing dark secrets. He almost smiled, having a memory jump-start on how he knew he was falling for her when he had kissed her back then.

Finally, the unusually tall pile of rubbish came into view. Draco moved behind it and stared at what he had never shown Hermione. It was a tall, ordinary-looking cabinet, with beautifully carved silver handles. He had spent all year fixing it. Every waking hour of the day it was on his mind.

Briefly, he glanced at the pile of books that were spread out across the floor, as if they had been in a stack but had fallen over. They were all books on vanishing spells. Draco almost laughed, remembering a time that Hermione had stopped reading, and when he came out to see why, she had fallen asleep.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his wand.

"It's time for me to make a choice," he whispered. "My choice."

Slowly, he raised his wand, pointing it straight at the beautiful woodwork. His hands trembled. His breathing was uneven. A drop of perspiration rolled down his forehead.

"Sorry, mum," he whispered. _"Confringo!"_ A jet of flame shot from the tip of his wand, spiraling around the wood.

_"Protego," _

The flames were blasted back, away from the cabinet. Draco blinked. "But," he said, "What?"

"Oh, I did that," said Bellatrix, her head popping out from behind the large rubbish pile. "Couldn't have you _accidentally_ burning up the project you'd been working on for so long, could I?" She let out a spurt of loud, mad laughter, throwing her head back.

"Why are you here?" Draco demanded. "You're supposed to be with the Dark Lord!"

"So are you," said the woman, her black eyes burning. "So why did you fall in love with Mudblood _filth!_" She spat the word as if just saying it had left a bitter taste in her mouth.

There was silence.

"No answer?" she asked, twirling her wand around in her fingers, her back leaning against the wood. "Then I'll answer your question. I came the same way that _they _did."

There was a noise from within the cabinet. A scuffle, a shout, and then the doors burst open. Fenrir Greyback stumbled out, snarling. Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Yaxley, Thorfinn Rowle, and Gibbon all stumbled out after him, wands out and masks in their hands. Draco stared in horror.

"But, how?" he said. "I hadn't fixed it yet. I hadn't finished fixing it!"

"But I did!" snarled Bellatrix. "You were taking your sweet time with it, so the Dark Lord had me come and finish for you. Now he's gone to get rid of your distraction."

"Distraction?" he said. "What distraction?"

"Think, Draco," she said. "Think very hard."

An Unpleasant Situation

Hermione ran. The cave was darker than anything she had ever experienced, even with her eyes closed. After she had managed to stumble just about twenty feet, she heard the high, cold laughter that had haunted her mind for months. It echoed throughout the cave. It became apparent to her that Voldemort was not chasing her.

What game was he playing now?

She tripped over something, falling flat on her face. She scrambled back to her feet, opening her eyes as she realized that it didn't matter if he knew where she was now. He could see her anyway.

A cave was before her. It was huge, and the interior was dark as night. Her heart nearly stopped beating as she realized what was about to happen.

She heard a noise. Scared, she whipped her wand out of her pocket, only to have it slip from her trembling fingers and away from her. She backed up against the wall of the cave. A pair of red eyes appeared before her. She shrieked, and ran as fast as she could away from them.

Where were Harry and Ron? Dumbledore? Luna, Neville, and Ginny?

She ran blindly for as long as she could. She stopped, panting. After catching her breath, she looked up to see a huge, black lake before her. She could see a tiny light ahead in the water, and realized it was wand light. She saw the faces of Harry, Ginny, and Luna.

She opened her mouth to call out to them, when a high, cold voice said calmly behind her, _"Crucio!"_

She screamed as the pain overcame her. She was on the rocky floor of the cave, withering and twisting in agony. She could hear the shouts of the three before her, calling her name, but only one voice was heard.

It was like the one that had cursed her, high, cold, and unfeeling. It whispered in her ear, "I fail to see how you can be of use to me anymore." Another spell hit her in the back with just enough force to push her off the rock and plunge into the deep, black water.

She watched in horror as cold, dead white hands reached up to her, grabbing her robes and pulling her slowly deeper into the water where she would die.

She struggled for a moment, trying to push the hands off of her robes, but they held on fast. If she could, she would've screamed when she realized that she was being pulled straight into a huge mass of dead, white bodies. In a last, desperate attempt to free herself, she looked up toward the surface, and stared at the tiny speck of light as it slowly faded above her.

**Next time in An Unpleasant Situation: "I'm going to kill you right now, Hermione," said Draco. "Maybe then you'll understand."**

** KIDDING! Lol, I would never do that! Ha hah! Just to relieve some of the tension, you understand. Even I need to let loose sometimes!**

** Please review!**

** Pan-tan**


	33. Lockets and Leaving

**I just watched A Very Potter Musical, and it is THE FLIPPIN' BEST THING EVER CREATED! EVERYONE must see it! You're not a Harry Potter fan until you've seen it! Lol, still don't own HP.**

**Enjoy, people of earth.**

Lockets and Leaving

"I thought I said," growled Neville, "That I _didn't want to dive in and save anyone!_"

Hermione gasped for air, frantically working her arms to stay afloat. She opened her eyes too see fire everywhere. It was spiraling down into the water, pushing back the dead bodies away from them.

Neville was stronger than he looked, Hermione decided. He had swam all the way down to where she was and pulled her back up again, now supporting her above the water. Hermione was shaking from the fear. Neville noticed this, and tightened his grip on her.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "You must have been scared."

"Hermione! Neville!"

They were pulled upward. There was solid wood under her feet, and Hermione realized that they were on the boat. The fire still covered nearly everything. Hermione let her eyes drift back to the rocky shore of the lake where Voldemort was standing, calmly twirling his wand in his hands. When their eyes locked, he smiled.

"Hermione," said Harry, "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine." She said confidently.

"I can't believe he's here." Harry mumbled. "This could be it. This could be the last time I face him."

_Tell him, friend of Harry Potter._

Hermione inhaled sharply, letting her eyes snap back to the dark wizards fading black figure against the orange flames. She shook her head.

_Tell him what you know._

She closed her eyes. Why won't you leave? she thought. Why me? Why does it have to be me?

_But you already know, don't you? As I've heard from your ears, they call you the brightest witch of your age. Surely you know why. Tell him._

No.

_Tell him._

"I can't!" she choked out loud.

_Do it now._

"Hermione?"

"Harry," she breathed. "V-Voldemort…"

"What? What about him?" Harry asked. His face was calm, but she could see the true, real fear in his eyes. "Hermione, tell me what he's saying!"

"…us." She whispered.

"What?"

"He is going to kill us, Harry." Hermione said. "One by one, right in front of your eyes, saving Ron and I for last. And then he's going to kill you."

Harry snapped. He roared in frustration and rage, slamming his fist into the side of the boat. "No, no,!" he yelled. "I won't let him kill anyone else! I've lost My parents, I've lost Cedric, I've lost Sirius, and I'm not about to loose you, too!"

Luna carefully and slowly put her arm around Harry's shoulders. Ginny followed suit, glancing bitterly at the dark wizard on the shore.

Hermione gulped, trying to push back the tears that were streaming down her face. "W-where's Ron and Dumbledore?" she asked quietly.

"Fighting," said Ginny. "Dumbledore was waiting for us at the top of the cave. He told me to come help Harry and Luna, and Had Ron go with Neville and him. That scream we heard wasn't Luna. It was a Death Eater."

"They've been waiting in here for us for hours," said Neville. "I guess that once You-Know-Who saw Dumbledore was catching on to him through your head, he sent some of his men here to wait for us. We were walking straight into a trap. They headed back to the front of the cave to stop any more from coming in, and I came back here, just in time to dive in and get you. Nearly shocked me to death to see _him _right there."

"We're almost to the island," said Harry quietly. "The Horcrux in there. We can keep the Inferi and Voldemort away from us so long as the fire is still there. Once it's gone, so are we."

The boat rocked slightly as it hit the island, and they piled out. A silver bowl-type thing rested in the middle, with some kind of potion in it. Harry tried to Accio the Horcrux, and even tried to reach in to grab it, but his hand couldn't reach the bottom of the basin.

"I think we have to drink it," Luna said.

"I'll do it," Ginny said immediately.

"No way!" said Harry. "We don't know it that's poison or something. I'll drink it,"

"MERLIN'S PANTS!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, there is no way in all the fiery deepest pits of _Hell _that I would let you drink this! Any of you! Look at me, I'm dying anyway, let me do it!"

"Hermione," warned Harry.

"No, just listen to me!" she hissed. "Didn't that Healer tell you that I only had a month left, anyway? Why would I let one of you, so perfectly healthy, die for someone who will anyway? I don't care what you say, Harry, but it's time I did something about all the people who think they can write my life for me! Just like that complete GIT Voldemort!"

Without another word, she stooped down and put her mouth to the potion, drinking a huge amount in a matter of seconds. Never could she find the words to describe what horrors she had seen. It was cold, dark, small, and she was all alone save the voice in her head. She saw every moment of her life that she had felt miserable, heartache, and physical pain. Harry kept tipping the potion into her screaming mouth, barely able to watch her.

Eventually, the basin was emptied. The fire spell had worn out so that the cave was no longer blazing with the orange, blinding light of flames. Hermione was gasping, feeling very week, looking at each of her friends in turn. They were all staring at her with blank faces.

"I had no idea," whispered Neville after a long time, "that you'd gone through so much. I had no clue. You're one of my best friends, Hermione, and yet I didn't even notice."

"That's not important," she managed to gasp.

"Voldemort's coming," Harry whispered, nodding to the black lake. Voldemort was gliding across it, as if flying. "Here," he said, holding up a silver locket, "Neville, take it. Don't you dare loose it. Hermione, Ginny, you've got to get out of here. All of us do."

"You talk as if you're not coming with us," said Ginny.

"I'm not," he said. "I have to wait for Ron and Dumbledore."

"Then I'm waiting with you!" said Neville.

"As am I!" said Ginny.

"I'm not leaving, either," said Hermione as firmly as she could.

Harry glanced at Neville. They seemed to have some sort of an unspoken conversation, then Neville nodded. He grabbed Hermione's arm, pulling her to her feet, then turned on the spot.

Harry shouted something after them, but they were already gone.

"Neville, no!" Hermione screamed. They were in the Forbidden Forest, she soon realized, just off the Hogwarts grounds. "Neville, take me back! You've got to take me back!"

"I'm sorry, 'Mione," said Neville, backing quickly away from her. "Harry needs me. And by what you were screaming when you drank the potion, Malfoy needs you more than anyone else. Here, take the locket. Find a way to destroy it."

Neville looked like a grown man, then. Not at all like the scared, frightened coward that felt his whole life that he didn't deserve to be a wizard. He tossed Hermione the locked. She didn't even make a move to catch it, and it landed at her feet.

"You know, Hermione," he said, "I think now I finally realize why I was put into Gryffindor."

The next second, he was gone. Hermione tried to go after him. She stood and turned, but nothing happened. She was too weak to Apparate. Hermione picked up the locket with trembling hands, and clicked it open. A small, old, folded piece of parchment fell out, and Hermione opened it. Her eyes grew wide as she read the note.

_To the Dark Lord_

_I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more._

_R.A.B._

"Fake," she whispered in shock. "It's a fake. It's not the real Horcrux."

"There's the Mudblood!"

She jumped at the voice, wheeling around to see hundreds of people behind her, all wearing Death Eater masks and bearing identical black wands. She felt her heart stop.

"Kill her!"

She was panting, racing as fast as she could through the trees. The sound of the hundreds of legs following her grew louder and louder as they drew closer.

A branch scrapped across her face, and she felt the blood gushing down her face. Jet's of red and green light shot past her as she maneuvered through the trees, willing herself not to get hit. She only had a minute or two, at best. How could she possibly succeed?

The locket in her hand swung around wildly, and she had to grip it even tighter as to refrain from loosing it. Suddenly, she broke free of the trees. Taking a quick glance upward, she realized that the Castle was completely overcome with Death Eaters. She saw jets of light shooting past the windows, and as she looked even further up, she noticed the unmistakable sign.

The Dark Mark hovered above the lightning-struck tower.

**You might want to go back and read a few chapters to remember all the visions that she had, because three of them have happened so far. I'm just not sure if anyone even READS my A/N, probably because they're really boring, but they're really important!**

**Lol, please Review! It's summer, so I'll update again soon!**

**Panneler-san**


	34. The Fate of Albus Dumbledore

**Disclaimer: FLIP FLOPS!**

The Fate of Albus Dumbledore

Once she had broken free of the trees, Hermione ran as fast as her strength would allow her. Not sixty feet from where she could see the Castle, Hagrid's Hut burned in the distance. Fang and Hagrid were no where to be seen, and Hermione couldn't hear them, either.

What went wrong? All of this had happened in the few hours that Dumbledore had been gone? "Harry," she muttered as she sprinted up the steps, ducking a yellow jet of light aimed for her head, "You and everyone else better get back here like lightning."

She pushed the doors open and barely managed to shove them shut behind her before any of the Death Eaters could make it inside.

Hermione took one look at the large entrance hallway and knew that Pandemonium had ensued. There were two Death Eaters wearing their masks, battling Flitwick, McGonagall, and several ghosts. The most the ghost's could do was to tip things over in the Death Eaters path. Peeves had gone all out, spraying ink and throwing books, laughing like a maniac and zooming all around on the ceiling. Students were running around the halls, some still in their pajamas, shooting random spells at the masked witches and wizards whenever they got the chance.

Suddenly the door thumped as it was pushed from the outside. Hermione panicked and reached for her wand to seal it. Her heart sunk as she felt the empty space in her robes and remembered that she had dropped it in the cave near the black lake. "Bullocks," she muttered.

"Looking for this?"

Hermione's head snapped up, and she grinned. "Ginny!" she yelled.

Ginny was on her broom above the fray, twirling Hermione's wand in her hands, her face beaming. "We came right after you," she explained as she descended and handed the wand back to its owner. "The moment Neville and you left, Voldemort vanished. Right then Ron and Dumbledore came back, confused and saying that the Death Eaters they had been fighting suddenly left. Then Neville came back saying he had left you in the Forbidden forest, and we all came back here."

"How did you get here before me?" Hermione asked, seizing Ginny's hand and maneuvering past the fighting after she had sealed the doors with several curses.

"Harry thought it would take too long to walk through the woods or Hogsmead, so he got the idea to try apparition into the Room of Requirement."

"But you can't Apparate in or out of Hogwarts," she said.

"I suppose that the room isn't exactly part of Hogwarts, though, because Harry was right," said Ginny, ducking a spell from another masked figure and sending one right back. "So I was smart and wished for my broom. I'd been waiting for you a full six seconds before I saw you running across the field through the window, with what looked like ten thousand people chasing after you. Now I know where all those people Ron was fighting got off to."

"And that would explain how they seemed to pop out of nowhere," gasped Hermione. "Where are the others?"

"Ron, Luna and Neville went to try and get everyone else back into their dorms, I came to find you, and Harry and Dumbledore went to check out the tower where the Dark Mark is."

"We're going there," she said firmly. "I have a very bad feeling about this."

"How are you?" Ginny asked, panting from the running. "Didn't that potion completely kill your energy?"

"Adrenalin rush," she gasped, remembering to skip the trick step.

At the top of the staircase, Hermione's eyes caught a familiar shape slide around the corner and out of sight, having just missed it. Her legs acted on their own; she changed direction. Ginny shouted after her, and she responded with a "I'll catch up, keep going!"

Her shout echoed throughout the hall, and she flung herself around the next corridor. She saw the familiar shape again, and called out. "Draco!"

Draco stopped, turned around, and looked her straight in the eyes. A look of shock and confusion passed over his face before he turned his feet towards her and ran back.

"Draco, what's going on?" she demanded. "There's Death Eaters all over the Castle, and about three hundred outside, I was just chased to kingdom come, and you wouldn't _believe_ what I've been through in the past few hours, it's been like a nightmare! I nearly drowned _twice_, once because I was being pulled down by these dead, creepy Inferi people, and I just ran a marathon, and-!"

Once he reached her, he threw his arms around her and kissed her breathless. It caught her off guard, to say the least. He stumbled forward, gently pressing her back against the stone wall. Despite the situation they were in, Hermione closed her eyes. He wasn't rough with her. He was very gentle. He kissed her like she would break if he wasn't careful. Slowly, one of his hands slid down her side, the other tangling in her hair. She leaned off the wall and into him so that they were chest to chest, feeling the other's heart pound. Suddenly, Draco pulled back.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Draco," she murmured.

"I love you, Hermione Granger," he said. "And I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

He leaned down, pressing his lips briefly to hers, then turning around again and sprinting back down the corridor.

"I love you, too," she whispered. What did he mean? What could he have meant? She hadn't a clue.

"Now, _that_ was hot," said Ginny, her head popping out from behind the wall. "But can we hurry up, please? That bad feeling of yours is starting to spread to me."

"Yeah," she said, smiling.

Ginny groaned. "And now she's grinning like an idiot!"

"Because!" Hermione said, "That was the first time he's ever told me directly that he loved me!"

"What about when he revealed your relationship to me?" she asked, beginning to run again.

"Nah, that didn't count," she said, and Ginny shrugged.

The rest of the run to the tower made Hermione begin to realize just how exhausted she was. Every time her heart pumped, she felt as if ice was flowing in her veins. Just as they were nearing the tower where the Dark Mark was, Ginny's hand brushed against hers.

"Hermione," Ginny said, "Your hands – they're like ice-!"

"I'm fine!" she gasped, grabbing the door handle to the tower.

"You don't look bloody fine!" Ginny shrieked. "You're all pale and cold, and you look like you've seen a naked Hippogriff. You-"

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

A jet of green light shot right in front of them them, narrowly missing Hermione's nose. A dark shape flew through the open window in front of them. It seemed to hang, as if suspended in the air underneath the shining skull of the dark mark for just a moment, before falling down to the depths of the grounds below. Hermione expected to hear screaming as the person fell, but they were silent, as if already dead.

She numbly stumbled past the door frame, her eyes wide. There, in her shock, she saw Draco, his wand out, hand shaking, pointing it directly where the shape had been moments before. Snape and several other people also stood in the room, some grinning madly at the prospect of what had happened. Snape himself had a terrible look of hatred and regret plastered on his face. His own wand was out, grasped tightly in his spindly hands.

"Out of here, quickly," said Snape after a moment, grabbing Malfoy's collar and dragging him to the door where she stood. Snape noticed her, and blinked in surprise. "Granger!" he hissed.

"H-Hermione," whispered Malfoy, pale and ashen.

"Draco," she whispered, "What-?"

"And who is this lovely creature?" asked a shaggy, grey-haired man with blue eyes and brown, sneering pointed teeth. His voice rasped and barked like a dog's. "Can I have her? She looks good enough for a bite or two…"

"No!" yelled Malfoy, ripping himself from Snape's grasp and standing with his arms spread wide in front of her, as if he were a shield. "No one touches her, especially not you, Greyback!"

"Oh, I get it now!" Greyback barked. "She must be that Mudblood the Dark Lord is so set on killing since you fell in love with her, isn't that right? Still, she looks edible enough."

"I thought the Dark Lord had gone to kill her," rasped a brutal-faced Death Eater, raising his wand. "I suppose he'd reward me for sparing him the trouble?"

"No one touches her!" Draco yelled.

The sun began to rise above the hills, far in the distance, illuminating the sky. Had it not been for the dark clouds hovering above the Castle, the sky would have turned a soft pink. Snape seemed to notice this change in lighting and grabbed Draco's collar once again.

"We must flee, Draco, quickly," he sneered, pushing past Hermione and Ginny and rushing down the stairs.

The other two Death Eaters followed them. Just as he was going out the door, the brutal-faced man seized Hermione and Ginny's wrists and pulled them back into the tower room. "The Dark Lord will surely reward me for your murder, Mudblood," he snarled, and pointed his wand right at Hermione's head.

It was then that a slight flutter on the wall caught Hermione's eye, and she saw the invisibility cloak fall from where Harry was standing against the wall, horror and disbelief of his face. Then his expression turned murderous. _"Petrificus Totalus!" _He yelled, aiming his wand at the Death Eater.

The brutal-faced man fell over, stiff as a board, filling the tower with a sickening crack of breaking bones when he landed. Harry rounded on the girls.

"How could you?" he spat. "Both of you! Keeping secrets and hiding this from me! They just killed him!"

"Who?" asked Ginny.

"DUMBLEDORE!" he roared. "Snape, Malfoy, it was one of them! I didn't see who did it, but they're both sick and twisted!" Without another word, Harry turned on his heel and raced after them, bellowing "SNAPE!"

Hermione chased after him blindly, not weighing the risks and outcomes that were sure to follow. Her mind was racing and raging, shouting against the familiar laughter that entered her head. _Dumbledore? No! He can't be dead! Harry hasn't seen everything right!_ She reached the bottom of the steps and stood next to Harry, just as she heard a voice above the fight in front of them saying, _"It's over, time to go!"_

"But, Hermione!" said Draco, numbly fighting against Snape's hold on him.

"There's nothing left you can do for her!" he said. "Just leave it!"

"I'm going to fight!" yelled Ginny, and rushed into the battle before them, taking on the Death Eater Amycus, who began shooting curses and Hexes at her.

Fenrir Greyback detached himself from the fray and launched at Harry, knocking them both to the ground.

Hermione seized her wand and shouted, "_Petrificus Totalus!"_

Harry pushed the frozen man off his body and raced after the disappearing figure of Snape and Malfoy, Hermione sending a curse at Amycus before following hot on his trail. Ron suddenly appeared, shouting to Lupin, back in the fray, to take his Death Eater. The Order of the Phoenix had arrived at last!

"Ron!" Hermione gasped.

"I saw Harry – why's he running? Where's he going?"

"Dumbledore," she said, "They killed Dumbledore, Ron, and now Snape and Draco are getting – Ah!"

A stray spell hit at their feet, exploding the floor beneath them, throwing them into the air and showering dust and rocks everywhere.

"That's it!" bellowed Ron, shaking gravel and white powder out of his hair. "Who the bloody hell did that? Can't you see I'm busy here?"

Red eyes appeared in the settling dust, illuminating the surrounding darkness of the corridor. Hermione knew who it was even before he showed his face.

"I've finally caught up with you, friends of Harry Potter," he said delicately.

"Why are you here again?" Hermione demanded, gaining courage from Ron's presence. "Why haven't you gone after Harry? Why stop us?"

"Because there is a certain dream you've had that needs fulfilling," said Voldemort, raising his wand. Hermione racked her brain, trying to remember every dream she had of the future. It was possible, she thought, to prevent this. Whatever was about to happen couldn't be good, but if she could just remember before it began, she could stop it. She knew she could. Suddenly, it hit her.

"No," she whispered.

Voldemort laughed.

"No, no!" she yelled. "Ron, _duck!_"

"ADVADA KEDAVRA!"

The green light that blasted out of Voldemort's wand blinded her, filling the whole corridor with the blare. A moment later, it subdued, and someone lay sprawled on the cold, grey, scattered floor. The dust finally settled, and she clearly saw Ron.

"I can't believe it!" she sobbed. "T-this is impossible! He can't be dead…He just can't!" _I couldn't save him._

"Don't you believe your own eyes?" asked the cold, unfeeling voice. "I thought you were rather smart, but you can't even distinguish between reality and your own fantasies."

She sobbed again, brushing the tears out of her eyes, reaching out with a shaking hand to the body lying motionless before her.

"Pity, Miss Granger, friend of Harry Potter. You should have listened to me the first time I said it. Because now you've lost-"

"No," she moaned.

"-absolutely-"

"Don't die!"

"-everything."

"RON!"

"HERMIONE! WAKE UP!"

She blinked. Ron's head lifted and looked at her. He grinned.

"I'm not dead _yet!_ That's a pretty stupid expression you've got on your face," he added.

Voldemort staggered backward in shock. "But – how?" he hissed. "You should have died. You should be dead!"

"It'll take a lot more than a badly-aimed spell to kill me," he said, getting to his feet, yanking his robes back in place and twiddling his wand in his fingers. "Come on, Voldy," he said. "I'd be happy to give you aiming lessons."

**There you have it. RON DIDN'T DIE! Ha ha ha ha! Yay **

**Live long and prosper.**

**Panneler-san**


	35. The Dark Lord's Rage Part II

**I do not own Harry Potter, and I think that was pretty flippin' obvious. ANYway, enjoy this.**

**(P.S. ****Warning you now****, you might yell at me. I ask that if you love my story, rather than yelling, review with how excited you are for the next chapter. I've had this planned ever since I started this fic, if not before, and there's no changing my mind now.)**

The Dark Lord's Rage Part II

"_Crucio!"_

_ "Expelliarmus!"_

Hermione barely managed to dodge the red jet of light streaking in her direction. She dove behind a loose slab of the ruptured floor in order to shield herself from the oncoming storm of hexes and curses flying in all directions. Hermione was not religious; she never had been. She believed that man was their own master, and the only way to achieve anything was through hard work.

It may have been because her parents didn't spoil her. It may have been because she always feared her mother's disappointed face whenever she would come home with a badly marked paper. It may have been because she felt as if sometimes, she was the only one in the whole world who understood the pain of being shunned.

She was not religious, but for the first time in her life, Hermione prayed. She prayed that Ron wouldn't get hurt, that Dumbledore wasn't dead, that Draco hadn't betrayed everyone.

That he hadn't been lying this whole time.

After several more stray spells flew in her direction, Ron and Voldemort's battle had shifted all around, getting farther and farther away from the fighting that was taking place in the chamber at the bottom of the tower entrance. Eventually, it moved into an empty room that Hermione guessed had once been used for dueling. She made sure that Ron was still alive before taking cover, and then began to notice something odd. All of Voldemort's spells were missing. All of them were so badly aimed, she wondered if he had hit his head somewhere.

Suddenly she understood.

He was aiming at _her. _He wasn't even fighting Ron. He was completely ignoring him. Shocked and stunned by this new discovery, Voldemort acted so quick she never understood just how fast he had moved. He turned his wand on Ron, and this time he didn't miss.

_"Petrificus Totalus!" _he screamed. The spell hit Ron square in the chest, and he toppled over without a word.

Hermione stared at Voldemort in terror. What was he planning?

"I suppose you wonder what I am doing?" he said quietly. "You wonder why I am toying with you. You wonder why I don't just kill you."

He was right, she thought. He could have killed her any time, yet he chose not to. "Why?" she asked. "Are you waiting for Harry to come up here before you murder us?"

"Yes and no," he said, as if a small child was talking about the weather. "I want to make Potter suffer, that is right, but something has been bothering you for quite a while, I know it has. I can see your mind, after all, Miss Granger."

Hermione gasped. How did he know…?

"You forget that everything in your head, I can see." He reminded her gently, taking a threatening step forward.

"Then you must know the answer," she countered. "I won't let you kill anyone until you tell me."

This must have surprised him slightly. His snake-like face blanked for just a moment before he threw his head back and laughed. "You amuse me," he said.

"Tell me," she said. "You know what I'm thinking, don't you? Christmas day, not to long ago, you gave me a vision. But, it doesn't seem to fit in with the others."

"And?" he asked coldly. "Refresh me. Which dream was it?"

Hermione closed her eyes, allowing the memory of Christmas day to enter her mind. And, it turn, his as well.

_Suddenly her head ached. Her vision swam, and she pulled away from Draco, groaning. She could feel the black darkness coming over her again, with the familiar voice of Voldemort ringing through her head again and again, but in different words this time. She just couldn't make out what they were…_

_The last thing that went through her head before she was overcome with images of a circular room with many different doors was this: Ron Weasley, I will never forgive you for killing me._

"Ah…And this would explain everything."

Hermione opened her eyes. Why did he look so…confused? "Why did you show me that room? We're nowhere near the Ministry. It's been a full year since I was in the Department of Mysteries with Harry. What else could possibly happen there?"

Voldemort chuckled. "I am not certain of it myself," he said. "I did not supply you with that vision."

Hermione's shock was nothing compared to the terrible grin that spread across the evil wizard's lips. "That doesn't make sense!" she shouted.

"But it does," he whispered, his eyes shining. "Someone else is inside your head, Miss Granger. Someone beside me. And I must admit, I rather wonder at who it is."

"T-there is one more thing," she stuttered, resisting the urge to back away from the too-close man.

"Speak." He ordered.

Hermione gulped, casting a fleeting look at Ron's slowly unfreezing figure. Involuntarily, Hermione's hand twitched for her wand. She wanted to curse Voldemort so bad that he would feel obliged to dig his own grave. "Right before I had that vision, you were saying something to me. I-I couldn't hear what it was."

Voldemort's terrible grin grew simply heinous as he said, "Oh, that? I was saying '_Crucio_',"

No time to act or think, no time to run, no time to even breathe. Voldemort finally didn't miss. For the second time that day, and she knew it would not be the last, Hermione Granger finally gave up to what she knew would shortly happen. She gave in to the voice, the whispers, the darkness, and the laughter swirling inside of her mind. Her feet failed her.

"You are nothing." the voice sneered. "You have never been anything. You should have never even come to this world. _Crucio!_"

Her scream filled up the empty room, echoing out into the hallway. She hardly noticed when the pain ceased, leaving a tingling feeling pricking over her skin. She pushed herself up to her elbows, breathing heavily. She pointed her wand at the dark shape, her fingers trembling.

"_Impedimenta,_" she gasped, but the shape was not affected at all.

"Look at you," said the voice, "You can't even cast a simple spell. This is why you are useless. _Crucio!_"

She fell back to the stone floor, screaming and shrieking in agony. When the sharp pain left once more, she could hardly move. No, she thought, This wasn't how it was supposed to be. It could not be true.

As if he could read her mind, he said, "Oh, yes, Miss Granger, it is very true. You are all alone. Abandoned by your friends. Abandoned by your parents, and the supposed savior of this world. Abandoned by even your enemies. Why, you were even abandoned by the one you love most."

"Stop," she whispered, "Please, just stop it. End this,"

Lord Voldemort tilted his head to the side, looking at her curiously. "A Dark and Dangerous Magic, Miss Granger," he whispered. "And now, I will let you experience it. _Avada Kedavra!_"

Torment beyond anything she had ever felt. Fear beyond anything she had ever experienced. Suffering beyond all misery. Angst beyond all distress. Horror beyond all horrors. Torture beyond all pain. As Hermione prayed, for a second time that day, she wished for something, anything that could stop this.

_You are going to die._

In a split second, the realization came to her. The simplest, purest form of salvation she could find. All this time, she'd been afraid of death. She'd been frightened of what would happen when one would die. And, her parents had crossed that barrier that she hadn't dared to think about. What more could there be for her here?

_There's Draco,_ she thought_. Betrayal or not, he loves you. You can't leave him. You can't abandon him. It's not that I don't want to die, it's that…_

"I _can't_ die!" she cried. "I won't!"

Silver, translucent, shimmering wings that were larger than life erupted out of thin air, wrapping themselves around her. Hermione stared at Voldemort's shocked, snake-like face as his curse rebounded off the beautiful, angel-like wings and soared straight for his heart.

When it hit, it shattered into five separate pieces. The rest of the curse flew past the walls as easily as a ghost and disappeared into the rising sun.

Voldemort screamed in pain. "What is this?" he hissed. A moment later he screamed again. "What magic is this? What – what ARE you?"

The wizard screamed three more times, each one more terrible than the last. Voldemort crumpled to the floor, and did not move again.

"Oh, Merlin," Hermione breathed. "They…they destroyed all of his Horcruxes!"

The curse binding Ron finally broke. He jumped to his feet and drank in the sight before him. The silver wings surrounding her slowly melted into the air as the sun hit them through the window. "What happened?" he asked.

"I-I don't…I'm not sure," she gasped. "He used the killing curse on me, but…it bounced back, hit him, and it…shattered."

"What do you mean?"

"Ron, I – I think it killed his other Horcruxes!" she said.

"But that would mean-!"

"Exactly!" she cried. The sun's warmth from the new day finally reached her, and she no longer felt cold. "Voldemort is dead!"

Ron let out a booming laugh of pure relief as Hermione hugged him. "Bloody fantastic!" he yelled.

"We have to find Harry!" Hermione said. "He chased after Draco and Snape! Who knows where they went?"

"Knowing Snape, he must be trying to run off with his tail between his legs," said Ron, casting a look at the lifeless, crumpled body of Voldemort. "But are you sure You-Know-Who's dead?"

Hermione used a life detection spell, sending a swoopy, cold feeling over both of them. Where Ron stood, there was a purple, shining light that proved he was alive, at least. Voldemort's body had none. "He's dead!" she said happily. "I'm sure of it!"

Ron grinned, shouting a large "YES! I could _kiss_ you!"

"Don't push your luck, Ronald."

"You're a killjoy. Look, I'll get Lupin to watch over the body. You go find Harry and Malfoy. I'll only be a minute behind you."

They went their ways. If Ron was right, then Hermione guessed Snape had taken Draco to the grounds, and if she knew Harry, he would be locked in a death-match with one or both of them. Once out of the castle, the position of the sun told her that it was nearing seven in the morning.

It had been the longest day of her life. Only twenty-four hours ago she had been on the train, coming home from St. Mungo's. The adrenalin in her blood began to ebb away, making her realize just what a horrid job the potion had done to her.

She felt like a block of ice, and moved like one, too. She could barely walk. Once outside, finding Harry, Snape, and Draco was easy. They practically hadn't even gotten off of the front steps.

It was seeing Harry lying face-first on the stone that wasn't easy.

"What…?" she muttered.

Snape and Draco's heads snapped up, startled at her presence. "Hermione," Draco breathed.

"What's wrong with him?" she demanded, kneeling next to him. "What did you do to him!"

"We did nothing," hissed Snape. "Potter was hit with a spell that neither of us cast moments before you arrived. We were just attempting to revive him."

Hermione put her fingers on his neck, hardly daring to breath. For longest time, nothing happened. Then she breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his pulse. "He's alive," she murmured. "For a moment, I – I thought he was dead."

"Are you hurt?" Draco asked, kneeling beside her.

"Tired as hell," she said, "But I'm not hurt. Draco, Voldemort is dead."

Both Snape and Draco reeled back in shock at this.

"He sent a killing curse at me," she explained, "But for some reason, it hit him. He and his Horcruxes, gone forever! We're finally free, all of us! It's over!"

"No," said Draco. "It's not over. Not yet."

Hermione blinked. "What do you mean?"

Draco stood and turned toward the forest, hiding his face from her. "Weasley has to do what he promised me." His voice rose. "And do it now, Weasley, before I can be tempted to do what I told you."

Hermione spun towards the doors, jumping badly at Ron's sudden appearance. His face was ashen and no longer had a happy, triumphant look on it. His wand was gripped tightly in his hand, his whole frame shaking. "I don't think I can," he whispered.

"Draco," said Snape, "Don't tell me that you-!"

"Do it, Weasley!" Draco yelled. "Remember what I told you!"

"What is going on?" Hermione yelled. "Ron, what are you doing?"

"Hermione," said Draco, "Please. Be happy."

Hermione froze as she realized what he was about to do. "No," she said. "Draco, Ron, don't. Don't, do you hear me? Please, Ron!"

"A-Av-_Avada-!_" stuttered Ron.

"NO!" Hermione screamed.

She was too late.

The jet of green light hit Draco Malfoy square in the back. He fell, tumbling down the rest of the steps and lay motionless at the bottom. Snape, too fell, but he did not roll to where Draco lay, already dead.

Hermione screamed. "_How could you?_" she cried. "_Why, Ron, why did you kill him?_"

Ron lowered his head, unable to look at her eyes. Hermione hit him as hard as she could, over and over again, screaming and crying and sobbing in despair.

"_How could you kill him, Ron, why did you? No, he can't be dead, he can't!_ You promised, Draco! YOU TOLD ME THAT NEITHER OF US WOULD DIE!"

Ron could only hug her and listen to her cry as he waited for Harry to wake up and for the sun to rise all the way into the sky. Far, far in the distance, dark clouds were beginning to form, hiding what little light had managed to shed on the Castle.

"I'm sorry." Ron murmured, stroking her hair.

Hermione thought that those two words were the most mournful sounds in the whole world.

**Please don't hurt me. Before you start screaming at me, just know that I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many flippin' times, but this was the best way. I won't spoil the next chapter for you, but PLEASE don't yell at me! I totally almost cried, writing this. For real.**

** I promise I'll write it super fast! Two chapters left, total, I swear it!**

** Pan-tan**

** (Don't eat me!)**


	36. Soul Salt

**I do not Own Harry Potter. Thank you guys for not getting super mad at me, although I did almost cry when I read your reviews.**

** Deep down, I know that you're mad at me.**

** So, I hope this makes it better.**

**(P.S. I own the Soul Salt idea. I'm actually writing a novel on it, and it has in no way been taken from Harry Potter. It's mine, I tell you, MINE!)**

** Holy shiz, two chapters in one day! What's wrong with me?**

Soul Salt

Hermione cried. She sat huddled in the corner of the last stall in the girl's toilet, her knees drawn up to her chest, her head down. She was shaking. How could this be happening to her? Her whole life, gone in moments.

And it was all her fault.

The Wizarding world was rejoicing. Voldemort was dead! The threat was over! Everyone was safe! Everyone was happy!

Well, almost everyone.

Voldemort's body had been burned along with one of his Death Eaters who had died in the fighting. The other Death Eaters had been taken off to Azkaban while preparations were made for Albus Dumbledore's funeral. Evil had lost their leader, but so had the Order.

When Harry woke up, he told only members of Dumbledore's army what had happened. He had seen Dumbledore. He could have chosen to go on, but chose, instead to come back.

Harry Potter had been a Horcrux, and when Voldemort's killing curse aimed for Hermione Granger had rebounded and hit him, instead, it split into five separate curses and one of them hit him. No one knew, however, how the killing curse rebounded in the first place. And no one knew why the shard of the curse had also killed the Horcruxes.

Hermione had not told anyone about the wings that had mysteriously protected her from death, and Ron agreed that it wasn't a good idea to tell others, too. So, they remained silent.

Sometime before eight in the morning, a member of the order discovered the body of Draco Malfoy, who had apparently been killed by a Death Eater.

Hermione couldn't bear to tell them the truth. Ron explained to her later in the day that Draco had sought him out when she hand Harry had been at St. Mungo's. Draco had told Ron everything about him and Hermione, and about the Unbreakable Vow he had made to kill her once the Vanishing Cabinet had been fixed. Draco said that he couldn't have done it, even if he wanted to. So, Draco asked Ronald Weasley for a favor.

He asked him to kill him if ever the cabinet was fixed. Although Draco Malfoy had grown more than anyone had ever anticipated in his mind and his spirit, he admitted to himself near the end that he was still a coward. He was afraid of loosing Hermione, the girl he loved, yet he knew death by Voldemort wouldn't just be a single curse.

He would have tortured him first. Mr. Malfoy was scared of that, it seemed. He felt that he might be tempted to avoid death by giving it to another. To one he truly loved. So, he relied on someone whom he knew would just get it over with. It wouldn't be murder, Draco had told Ron. It would be doing him a favor.

If there was one thing that the rest of the Wizarding world learned from Draco Malfoy that day, it was that he was madly, truly, and deeply in love with Hermione Jean Granger.

Seven Days Later

"Miss, Granger, come with me." Professor McGonagall ordered.

Hermione stood and followed, if not just to avoid making the situation worse than it already was. She had been called upon twice by McGonagall in the seven days that had passed since Draco's death, but had not responded to either of the owls.

Now she had come for her personally, and Hermione didn't feel that she possessed the caliber needed to argue that she was just too tired. She disgusted herself. Who knew that she could be so disorderly? She hadn't even changed robes since the last day of her hospital visit. Many eyes followed her out of the portrait hole, whispering behind her back and pointing insults and pity every which way they could.

She ignored them.

McGonagall led her straight to Dumbledore's office without another word or side stop. "Albus," she said reverently, and the stone gargoyle leaped aside to admit them. Up the steps, through the door, Hermione hardly paid attention to where she was walking. She didn't even notice McGonagall seating her in the Headmaster's chair and turning her to face the wall, and then leaving the room entirely.

The whole wall was covered in paintings of former Headmasters and Headmistresses, all of them whispering and murmuring to each other, just as the living had. Gossip did not even stop in death.

Hermione stared at the painting of the old wizard on the wall before her, right in front of her eyes. She didn't blink, and neither did the wizard. There was something oddly familiar about this man, though, and his half-moon spectacles…

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger," said the wizard.

"Professor," Hermione mumbled.

Of course. It was Dumbledore. She was talking to his portrait in his old office. He was a painting on the wall because he had died.

"Why are your eyes so empty?" Dumbledore asked her.

Hermione didn't answer.

Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid I've been lying to you, Miss Granger," he said. "Near the beginning of the term, I asked you to spy on Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione visibly cringed at mention of his name. She blinked furiously and picked up a small crystal ball off of the desk behind her, twiddling it in her hands, as if that would stop her from crying. But she knew she couldn't. For seven days, she hadn't been able to cry at all, not even in the least. Pansy had called her a monster for not showing any remorse for Malfoy's death, and screamed that her trust had been misplaced until Professor Flitwick and Hagrid had dragged her down to the Hospital Wing for a calming draught.

Dumbledore's long, painted hands pushed his glasses up his nose as he continued. "I asked you to spy on him, asking you to get him to trust you, to confide in you. I led you to believe that I did not know what he was planning."

"Merlin's pants you on about?" she said hoarsely. Hermione refrained from throwing herself into the raging fireplace at that. Even her language had become filthy, detestable. Where had the prim, proper, almost pampas Hermione Granger gone?

"My point," said he, "is that I lied."

The crystal ball shattered into a million pieces when it hit the floor. Her brown eyes were wider than they had ever been. The noise seemed to stop the slight chatting of the other portraits as they all turned to watch.

"I know this alarms you greatly," he continued quickly as Hermione dropped to her knees to pick up the shards. Her mind had completely forgotten that she could just repair it with a flick of her wand. "But I ask that you head me out. I knew that Mr. Malfoy was attempting to kill me from the first moment I saw him at the start of the term. His eyes were frightened of me."

Hermione gulped.

"I am selfish, Miss Granger," he confessed. "I am. Very selfish. More so than you realize. I used you, so to speak, to get him to change his mind. His soul was so pure, so young, it would be beyond my conscious to know that I played a part in destroying a thing so pure. So I tried to make him see a different view of things."

"By using me?" Hermione whispered, flinching as she cut her finger on a shard of the crystal, staining it red.

"Yes." He replied.

"How?"

"I had him fall in love with you."

Hermione's head snapped up.

"I did not make him. Or so to say, I played a part in his learning to love you," he explained. "A person in love is a beautiful thing, Miss Granger. Mr. Malfoy had been alone all of his life. The only love he had ever held was for his mother, for giving him life and material needs, and for his father, a deeper, more fearful respect that not one has ever experienced. It was his cross, you might say."

"I don't get it," she said.

Dumbledore nodded. "His limitation to love was restricted to respect only. When one loves with full heart and mind, it changes them. Mr. Malfoy blackmailed you into helping him with fixing a thing that would ultimately be the end of the world as we knew it. But once he began to realize he was falling in love with you, he then realized that he was forcing you to help build your own death. And not just you, but your family, your Muggle friends, their friends, an entire race of people would die, and it would be his fault."

Hermione closed her eyes. Was this really what he had thought?

"He," said Dumbledore, "Draco Malfoy, would have committed mass genocide. And that would have included _you_."

"So he died to save me?" she asked.

"In a word," said Dumbledore, "Not just to save you. He died to save your entire world. Everything he did was for you. For you to be happy in a world that he knew he did not belong in."

_Hermione. Please, be happy._

She clenched her fists. The crystal dug into her palm and her blood dripped down her knuckles and fell to the floor. "He knew?" she asked shakily. "The whole time we were together he loved me and let me love him, knowing that in the end we couldn't be together? That…That absolute _git_! Why did you bring me here, Professor? What is it that you're trying to tell me?"

"What is in your pocket, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked suddenly.

"What's that got to do with-?"

"What is in your pocket? Take it out."

Hermione unclamped her bleeding hand and reached it into the pocket of her filthy robes. Her fingers hit something with a papery texture, and there was a slight noise that came from it, like dropping grains of sand onto cardboard, piece by piece. She grasped the package and brought it out under the light.

Her eyes grew wide. "Bring them back," she read.

"Now listen very closely," said Dumbledore severely. "Because what I'm about to tell you could bring Draco Malfoy back to life."

An Unpleasant Situation

Hermione ran down the dark corridor of the Ministry, faster than she ever had in her whole life. Her mind was still replaying Dumbledore's words, over and over again. Could it be true? It had to be true. This was her only hope.

She had stolen Harry's lucky potion and invisibility cloak. Both had been hiding at the bottom of his trunk. She felt bad, doing this to him, but she was desperate. So far, three drops of the potion had been enough for her to get past security in the Ministry without being seen or questioned. As she reached the heavy black door that she had faced a year before with her friends, not knowing that Sirius Black would make his grave there, Hermione pulled on handle and entered the circular room.

Marking the exit with a fiery 'X' like she had long ago, she pulled open doors as memories came swelling back to her. She saw the brain room where Ron had nearly been strangled. The time room with hundreds of smashed time turners. Finally, she touched a doorknob that nearly burned her skin off.

"This is it," she muttered.

_"There is a room in the Department of Mysteries that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort had not at all." said Dumbledore._

_ Hermione could only nod, her attention captured completely._

_ "There are many different subjects that are studied in the Department of Mysteries. Space, time, death, thought, prophecy, and love. The locked door leads to the last. It is just a guess, and I may say that my guesses are usually right, but in that room you may be able to use that package for the good of the way the world was supposed to be."_

_ "How would I get in, though?" she asked. "Normal unlocking charms can't open it, and Harry's magical knife couldn't either. It's impossible to get in!"_

_ "I cannot pretend that I have a way for you to get inside," he admitted, "but I do have a guess. Most might think that it would take dangerous, dark, complicated magic, but I think all you will need to do is ask it to open."_

_Hermione blinked. "You're serious?" she asked._

"_If you cannot get passed this door, then I fear all is lost."_

_ "What are you so scared of, Professor?" Hermione asked. "You talk as if something terrible has happened. Voldemort is dead! Everyone in the entire world is happy right now."_

_ "Not you," he said. "But that can wait for later. For now, I want you to try getting into that room…"_

Hermione gulped, knowing that this might work, or it might not. If it didn't, then she would be trapped in this nightmare forever. "Um," she said quietly, "I-I mean, please open for me."

The door did nothing, as if expecting an explanation.

"There's someone I love," she said. "Someone I can't leave alone. A-and, I feel like I'd die without him. I love him. I miss him. And the universe is in peril, or whatever, so please open."

Nothing happened.

"Please," she repeated. "I can't let him go."

_Click. _The door swung open. Hermione gave a cry of relief. It had worked.

"…_and what happens once I get inside?" Hermione asked. "What's in this package, and why did Professor Snape have it?"_

_ "The package contains a creation of Severus' that he has entitled, 'Soul Salt'. Severus wished to create something that could purify a soul so that it would become like that of a little child – innocent and free of sin. It can also resurrect a soul that has fallen."_

_ "Why did he make something like that?"_

_ "Because he, too, had someone he did not wish to loose." Dumbledore said. "He never planned to use it, but it gave him hope. It could be called either luck or fate that you found it."_

_ "So if I can bring Draco's soul back, will it bring his body back too?" she asked. "Will it be just like he never died?"_

_ "Yes. He will be alive again, rather than other enchanted items that only bring back an illusion of the dead and drive the living mad. But there is a catch."_

_ "What catch? I hate catches!"_

_ "I must admit, I do not know what will happen when you activate the Soul Salt by pouring it into the fountain in the Love Chamber, but it could be anything. All I know is that something in the universe will either correct itself, or take something out. Everything that has happened in these past months could be erased in the blink of an eye. Are you prepared to deal with a flux that enormous?"_

_ Hermione nodded. "I have to," she replied._

_ Dumbledore's twinkling eyes closed as he nodded. "Very well. Good luck, Miss Granger."_

There was a sparkling fountain in the center of the bright room, streaming its contents down the sides and into the channels that covered the floor in intricate patters and designs. The package gripped tightly in Hermione's hands crinkled as she ripped open the top.

Soul Salt was gold, and it carried the scent of lavender and fresh rain. Hermione didn't waist a moment in pouring the contents of the package straight into the golden-pink liquid of the fountain. The effect was instantaneous.

The world swirled around her. The very ground shook beneath her feet. The universe was changing. The past was rearranging itself. Wrongs were right, and only when it was too late did she _see _the consequences of her actions.

She knew what would happen. The world in front of her eyes changed as images flashed in her mind, faster than anything she had ever seen, one after another. She saw exactly what would happen. The 'side effect' Dumbledore had spoken of was a flux in the universe. In this case, Hermione found that she was being thrown back in time.

She saw it. Now, everyone was happy because Voldemort was dead. She was not because Draco was, too. In the past, no one was happy because Voldemort grew ever-more powerful. Yet she was happy. She was happy because he was still there.

The room itself seemed to ask her, even though there was no voice, _Are you sure you want this?_

Hermione thought. A world with Voldemort. A world with evil. Or a world without Draco. A world without love. She was faced with the choice to save, or be saved. "Just this once," she whispered, "Let me be selfish."

Voices, memories, visions, and thoughts entered her head all at once, consuming her conscious. They screamed at her, yelled at her, whispered to her, and sang to her all at once.

"_You are going to die!"_

_ "Very well, Miss Granger. Good luck."_

_ "Hermione. Please, be happy."_

"I promise," she whispered, and the ever-swirling world expanded and consumed her. Hermione closed her eyes, knowing that when she opened them again, Draco would be beside her.

_I will be happy, Draco. We both will._

**Next chapter is the last one. Ever. Holy cow, it's been nearly a year since I started this fic! Lol, I'm PLANNING ON A SEQUAL if you're interested. I'll have details after this story is over.**

**Thanks for everything, guys!**

**Love you all!**

**Panneler-san**


	37. So I Can be Her Salvation

**I don't own HP.**

**Please enjoy the final chapter of An Unpleasant Situation.**

So I Can be Her Salvation

"Hey, 'Mione, you're coming to the Quidditch tryouts, aren't you?" asked Ron.

Hermione blinked. Where was she? After looking around the room, she remembered. _Yes, of course, _she thought. _I'm in the Great Hall with Ron and Harry. I've been here for ten minutes, why am I spacing out?_

"'Mione?" said Ron, his face glazed over with concern.

She jumped. "Oh, I actually had a homework problem that I missed. I need to go show it to Professor McGonagall once breakfast ends, so I might not make it," she said.

Ron's face fell. "Homework again?" he asked. "Can't you choose me over homework this once?"

_Homework can wait, _her conscious told her. _This is Ron we're talking about. He needs your support!_

"C'mon, Hermione," said Harry. "Why don't you come to the trials?"

"Well," she said, "I suppose transfiguration can wait for noon,"

"Alright!" said Ron. "Now I've got my confidence back! I'm competing against Mclaggen, you know. Nasty git, always so full of himself."

"Let's go," said Harry.

The walk down to the Quidditch pitch took only a minute or two. Hermione blinked in the sun that hit her face. Sunny? Hadn't it been cloudy just a moment ago when she…_When I what?_ she thought. "Goodness, I'm completely out of it, today." She murmured.

The trials went smoothly, until Hermione had an urge to Confound Mclaggen that could not be repressed. As a result, he fumbled and completely missed the last save at the goal posts. Ron, however, made all five.

"Congratulations!" she yelled, giving Ron a hug as he descended to the field below the goal posts, a huge, goofy grin on his face.

"I knew I had it in me!" he roared. "Thanks for coming today, Hermione. It meant a lot to me."

She nodded, beaming.

After the new team had changed and showered, they all went off to their first Potions lesson.

"What d'you think about that Slughorn character?" Ron asked once they were standing outside the dungeon.

"I met him over the summer when Dumbledore came to pick me up," said Harry. "Can't say he's my favorite person, but he's nice enough."

They took their seats in the middle of the classroom. Ron made it a point to look around and see who else had been able to get into the class.

"Excellent," Ron murmured. "Crabbe and Goyle were too stupid to make it to N.E.W.T level. Oh, but… Malfoy got in. Bummer…"

Hermione's heart thumped. She blinked. What on earth…? She turned around in her chair to see for herself where Malfoy was, and found herself staring straight into his cold, silver eyes.

_Hermione. Please, be happy._

"…so we'll have to talk to Slughorn about getting books and stuff so – whoa, Hermione, why're you crying?" Ron said.

Hermione blinked once again, this time tears falling from her eyes. "Oh!" she muttered, wiping them away hastily. "I-I hadn't realized…I mean, I-I'm not sure," she said.

Malfoy's face, although very momentarily, twisted in pain. Hermione never thought that he could show those sad, sad, regretful eyes to anyone. But perhaps it was just the water blinding her.

She sniffed. "Why are you crying, Hermione?" she muttered to herself. "It's just Malfoy!"

_Hermione. Please, be happy._

_ I will be happy, Draco. We both will._

"Are you okay?" asked Harry, alarmed at his friend's tears.

"Yes," she said, turning away from Malfoy and smiling. "I just got some dust in my eye, is all." _All I hope it is._

"Its better this way," she heard Malfoy murmur.

"Draco, what're you on about?" Blaise asked.

Draco shook his head. "Nothing."

An Unpleasant Situation

"I feel like I'm forgetting something," Hermione said seriously to Ron and Harry at breakfast the next morning.

"Homework?" they said at the same time.

Hermione shook her head. "No, not that. Something…big."

"It's just your imagination, Hermione," said Harry.

"Yeah, just chill out for a second or two," said Ron.

Hermione sighed.

"…Can I talk to you, Granger?"

She nearly dropped the toast in her hand. Harry frowned as Ron snarled, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Malfoy did not sneer, which was unusual. Instead, he looked almost sad. "I need to talk to Granger," he said. "Alone."

"We're coming with," said Ron.

"No," said Hermione. "No, don't worry about it. I won't be a moment."

Harry and Ron stared after her in astonishment as she followed Malfoy out of the Great Hall and into a secret passageway. What on earth could he want?

"I-!" he choked, "I need to know, Granger, can you remember what I said to you?"

Hermione frowned. "When?" she asked. "You're being very odd, you know."

Malfoy's face seemed to glaze over with a certain acceptance. It was a sad, lonely look that nearly broke her heart. "Never mind, then," he said quietly. "I suppose I'm the only one."

"Only one who what?" she asked. "Did you bring me back here just to insult me again?"

Malfoy sighed, the lonely look melting into the saddest smile she had ever seen. "Hermione," he whispered, "Please, be happy."

And then he was gone.

Hermione blinked, the feeling that she was forgetting something growing larger and larger.

_ "Everything that has happened in these past months could be erased in the blink of an eye. Are you prepared to deal with a flux that enormous?"_

_Hermione nodded. "I have to," she replied._

"_I can't lose him!"_

She bit her lip. What could she be forgetting? It was something important, she knew it. She sighed loudly, exiting the passageway as she returned to the Great Hall to finish her toast. "I suppose it doesn't matter," she yawned, stretching her arms above her head as the sun from the windows hit her face.

The sun had completely risen, shedding what light it could onto the world.

October

November

December

"May I speak to you, Draco?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

Draco looked up from the book he was reading, alone in his common room. For some reason, it didn't really surprise him that Dumbledore was suddenly there. "You have a habit of doing that, don't you?" he drawled.

Dumbledore invited himself to sit on the green armchair across from the young boy, playing with his blackened hand and smiling gently behind his half-moon spectacles. "You cannot hope to pretend that you do not miss her," he said.

Draco snapped his book shut. "What I don't understand," he said loudly, "Is why you choose now to tell me that you can remember everything that happened in that parallel universe, too."

"Draco," sighed the old wizard, "I'm old and forgetful. Are you not going home this Christmas? Miss Granger has gone home to her family,"

"No one would want me there," she hissed. "Besides, you already know what I'm doing. Aren't you frightened that someone else will die, this time? Someone beside me?"

"I am willing to risk it," he said. "I trust that Miss Granger's impression on you was not that short-lived?"

Draco looked away from the wizard's dancing eyes. "Of course not," he whispered. "She's completely forgotten about me, though."

"I should think not," said Dumbledore. "Hermione Granger sacrificed everything to bring you back, Draco. You might say that the price for bringing you back was that she forget everything about your time together. But one who can love that much would not completely forget everything."

"What are you saying?"

"She may not remember the time that she loved you," he said, "but she has not completely forgotten her feelings. That is how it will be, for the rest of her life. She will forever feel as if something is just out of her reach."

"So," Draco whispered, "In order to save me, she forgot all about me?"

"I am afraid so."

Draco stood up, leaving his book behind and moved slowly toward the fire place, staring into its depths. "She was happy, wasn't she, Dumbledore?" he whispered.

"Yes, Draco. She was very happy."

An Unpleasant Situation

I grew up without much love. My mother loved me, but only because she was my mother. My father expected things of me that I felt I would give my life to accomplish. Most of my life was driven by fear.

Hermione changed that about me. She opened my eyes to the world and what it could be, what I could be in it. I wasn't alone, so long as she was next to me, holding my hand. I loved her. I truly, deeply, madly loved her. And I only got to tell her once.

Neither can live without the other, and neither can live while the other survives. She only mentioned this to me once, but I never forgot it, even for a second. Hermione was killing me. She went through so much pain, and I could never understand just how hard it was for her to see me everyday.

Because I was killing her, too.

I knew from the very beginning that it wouldn't last between us. I wanted it to, of course, but I knew that it wouldn't. One reason was that she was Potter's friend. When he went on some kind of a crazy adventure, she and Weasley would go with him, because they were best friends.

Another reason was that she wouldn't be completely happy with me. Weasley and Potter hated me. If they ever learned about us, they would resent her, too. I know about her need to be accepted by people. I saw it when Weasley started snogging Brown. As Hermione cried in my arms, I told her that I was sorry. But I never told her what for.

I was sorry for falling in love with her, because I knew it would cause her even more pain. Although she denied it, I could tell that she never truly got over Weasley. She might not have noticed, but I could see it in the way she looked at him. He would be able to love her and not make her sad.

So when I died, I did it in the hopes of giving her some happiness. In giving her a life in a world that I knew I always hadn't belonged in. I wanted, for once, to be _her_ salvation.

Because she had saved me many times.

The Dark Lord was in her head. Even though he had died, a part of him was somewhere that no one would have ever guessed, and it still is. He is in the deepest chambers of Hermione's heart, where she keeps him fearfully, every day hearing the voice that now has empty meaning and remembering the pain and suffering, the misery that she had gone through. He would never truly leave her. Tom Riddle would always be laughing in Hermione's head.

So I lost Hermione forever. I played the bad guy once again, to hide everything from her. If she somehow remembered about what had happened then the life I had sacrificed my own happiness for would shatter hers. She would feel the need to choose between the two worlds she was apart of, just as she had before.

I feared that the choice would kill her. And I knew that I loved her too much to do that to her. I had made up my mind. I would forever love her from the shadows, quiet and invisible, but there. Hermione Granger would never know that she had once loved me almost as much as I loved her.

And I could never tell her.

So now I can be her salvation.

"_You'll be happy, won't you, Hermione?"_

_ "Yes Draco. I will."_

_ "I love you."_

Neither could live without the other.

Neither could live while the other survived.

Thus, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger's fate ended, vanishing into the shadows of a parallel world like footprints in the sand.

"_Some things are just meant to happen. But, I think that sort of thing only happens if the fate of the world depends on it. I know this sounds crazy, but everything happens for a reason. But sometimes there may be something that can take two very different directions, so God or Merlin or whoever is up there gives someone down here a chance to take one of those paths. Then again, who is supposed to know if they take a direction that wasn't even intended? In other words, I don't believe completely in prophesy, but I do believe in fate," - - - Draco Malfoy_

The End

**Thanks so much for reading! The sequel will actually follow Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy, as they track down their own definition of "fate", even possibly achieving happiness that their parents only held in their hands for a moment.**

** I'm thinking of setting up a poll on what everyone thought of the ending, so visit my profile if you have the time.**

** Once again, thank you so much! The road has been long, but its been awesome as heck.**

***bows***

**Panneler-san**


	38. Epilog

**SURPRISE!**

**Ha ha! I bet none of you expected an epilog! Well, I didn't either. Just got a really crazy idea. It won't be that long, trust me.**

** Like, it'll be really short.**

** As for the sequel, I'll post a link on this story as soon as I have the plot and the first chapter written down.**

** I LOVE YOU ALL!**

** You are all amazing people who make me really happy when you read my story!**

** I don't own Harry Potter.**

** Please enjoy!**

Epilog

"_How can you remember, Dumbledore? I thought I was the only one."_

_ "I have a guess, and seeing as my guesses are usually right, I will tell you. As you know, Miss Granger forgot all about you when she brought you back. I am sure that, unknowingly, she saw what she was about to do moments before she agreed to it. So, she made a deal with the devil, so to speak."_

_ "And that was?"_

_ "She asked that you, at least, remember."_

_ "What has that got to do with you?"_

_ "If you recall, Severus killed me before Mr. Weasley killed you. It is my guess that anyone who died before Miss Granger brought you back was also resurrected, with the same curse. All of those who died remembered what had happened."_

_ "Why would Hermione ask that I remember? Why would she do that?"_

_ "Alas, I cannot even hope to guess this time. Draco, Hermione Granger alone knew why she asked that, and now she has completely forgotten. In short, you and I will never know."_

"This is getting out of hand," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry," Ron groaned. "Why don't you just let Harry borrow us his Potions book, and-?"

"No, no, no!" she snapped. "I refuse to get help from that…that unorthodox book!"

After another infuriating Potions lesson in which Hermione and Ron failed to make the seemingly mud-colored remedy into a clear, pure gold, she was in a bad mood for the remainder of the day. Straight after potions was Defense against the Dark Arts, and she had been looking forward to this class for al long time.

Because they would be having their last test of the year before their N.E.W.T.S. Harry's meetings with Dumbledore were growing longer and more frequent, and although Hermione tried to deny it, she could not help but agree with Harry that Draco Malfoy was up to something. She had nearly died when Ron had been poisoned, but she felt much better to hear from Harry that he had broken it off with Lavender Brown.

Life, besides the occasional missed question on her homework, was nigh perfect. There was just one thing that was bothering her greatly.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when she was close to dreams, she would head whispers. Murmurs and breathy words would crawl inside her skull, followed by the bone-chilling sound of high, cold laughter.

Hermione had talked to Madame Pomfrey. The Healer had said that nothing was wrong with her. She had no form of physical sickness, so she was forced to conclude that she was slowly but surely going insane.

She would not tell Harry or Ron about this. She couldn't. They were both under too much pressure. So she would keep it to herself. All to herself…

"Miss Granger, the bell rang three minutes ago. Are you so insistent on staying in my classroom?"

Hermione jumped as the high, cold laughter in the back of her head died. "Oh! No, Professor, I just wasn't paying attention, that's all!"

Snape's already disapproving eyes narrowed dangerously. "I want you to pick up your books, Granger. They fell on the floor while you were daydreaming."

Hermione flushed in embarrassment as she realized that he was right. She had indeed been daydreaming. The feeling that she was forgetting something only grew stronger when she heard the voice that whispered in her skull. She was frightened of it.

It was almost as if the voice was trying to jump start her memory. But Hermione knew that she wasn't forgetting anything. For the whole school year she had pushed back the feeling, because she had checked everything. There was no Holliday, homework assignment, birthday, test, or important event of any kind that she was missing. So why…? What the Professor said next just made her even more confused.

"Oh, and Miss Granger," said Snape as he was leaving the room, "I _do_ still expect you to finish your detentions."

**And that's that. The end, no more. I swear. I was just thinking that I had to make sense of why Draco and Dumbledore could remember, and I came up with the "only people who died can remember anything" thingy. So then I remembered that Snape had to have died when Draco did because he made that Unbreakable vow to protect Draco, so yeah, he just gave Hermione a mini-jump start.**

** Cause she never did finish those detentions.**

** :P**

** Oh, yeah, and Voldemort just thought it was all just an awful dream, but I didn't want to go into that.**

** SO have a nice life, and I'll see you in the sequel!**

** Panneler-san**


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